Recurring Dreams
by crystangel03
Summary: Jason Bourne looks to find about his past & the weird dream he's been having when he realizes it may be for a reason. He's then thrust into yet another mission to fulfill along with Nicky. Set postSupremacy JasonNicky R&R please! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own "The Bourne Identity/Supremacy"

A/N: This is supposed to happen shortly after Supremacy. Please R&R!

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He had awakened once more to the same recurring dream. It wasn't a mission this time that haunted him, it was worse yet. This dream that he had was of a young woman who he had met and had held at gun point. He had threatened her and although he hated to admit it, he now felt guilty. Having the CIA after him, not cutting him any slack was well enough driving him to the edge if it hadn't already been done. This was probably why he was having this dream, or so he'd like to tell himself. 

Knowing well that the sleep had gone and he would not recover it, he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He washed his face with cold water, hoping to wake up and perhaps think better. He needed to think of what his next move would be, of what he planned to do now that he knew his real identity or of anything that would help uncover his past. As much he tried to remember, he couldn't. It wasn't of much help either that he would be distracted by the face of that woman who he had spent only but a few minutes with and having frightened her. His felt a sharp pain on his head and knew his headaches were coming back. He rubbed at it gently, hoping to ease the pain and hopefully make it go away.

He had made his way back to the bed and was now lying on it, very still. He closed his eyes and he thought back on his dream.

_He was running from the police. Judging from the cars that chased him, and the buildings around him, he was in New York. He was running through the huge crowds of people who walked among the streets, every now and then bumping into them. He was running fast and could only see people as a blur as he went. He turned a corner and saw a subway entrance up ahead. He saw a man a few feet ahead with some of his characteristics. He could hear the siren of the police but being New York, he knew they would have some trouble catching up to him. He caught up with the man ahead and threw his coat over him. He then ran to the subway entrance and disappeared inside._

_His dream is cut off and he is now out on the streets once more only this time he seems to be approaching her, Nicky Parsons. She seems to be waiting for him at the end of the street as he crosses. She looks up and suddenly she runs to him, a horror struck face and pushes him aside as she's shot. He manages to catch her and hears her telling him to run as she then dies in his arms. _

He opened his eyes. It was a strange dream indeed and he couldn't make any sense out of it. He knew it wasn't something that dealt with his past because obviously the woman, Nicky, wasn't dead. It was just a bad dream. What he didn't understand was why he dreamt it everytime. Could it possibly be a glimpse from the future? He scoffed. Was it even possible? Then again, was it possible that he was a former CIA agent? Was it possible that he had been chased down by them to protect their own lives? Was it possible that they had killed Marie?

As he thought about his last question, he realized that he hadn't given much thought to her now that he knew what his real identity was. It seemed that he had forgotten about her. No, he hadn't forgotten about her, but she had been avenged and she would now be able to rest peacefully. He could never forget because she was the one that had been there since the beginning with him. The beginning of this hell. However, there was no point in thinking back on what had been. It was now time to focus on the present. The present was that dream and discovering the person he had been before he condemned himself in that nightmare.

He turned to the nightstand next to him and gazed at the picture propped up against the lamp. It was the picture of Marie and him. It was the only real evidence that he had that at one point he had been happy, that he had been able to laugh and smile. He focused on her and smiled once more as he remembered her caress and her words of reassurance that everything would be fine, although he doubted she herself believed it. He closed his eyes with her in mind but was replaced with the face of another young woman. She had short, blond highlighted hair and brown eyes. He opened his eyes immediately to be met by the same picture he'd been staring at before.

He didn't understand the reason to why she kept on popping into his thoughts and dreams but he needed to find out. Maybe it was the fact that he had held her at gun point and his mind was somehow working up crazy scenarios or something. He cursed under his breath. He was getting frustrated. He hadn't even talked to her before, not unless it was for the Treadstone operation. Now that he thought about it, he rarely talked to anyone at all. She was quite interesting and attractive but being the type of man he was, focused only on his target and mission, she was far from his mind. Maybe if he had paused to look around him before, nothing of this would have ever happened. What was wrong with him? He was beginning to lose himself in thoughts that shouldn't.

Could this possibly have a link to his past? If it had then he had to contact Nicky. No, wait, in his dream she had been shot as she made her way to him. She had received the bullet in order to save his life and now he wanted to go look for her? _Yes Jason, or David, whoever you may be now, why don't you go look for her so you can get her killed, have the CIA pin it on you again so you can have more reasons to run and kill. That sounds like a good idea, why don't you go ahead and do that?_ The lack of rest was obviously affecting him. He needed to calm down and think straight. If indeed his dream meant something more than meeting Nicky would probably not be a good idea. He had to stay away from her. _In order to guarantee that she will stay alive and you can continue to use her, that's all_. That was the only reason he cared. Then why had he let her go?

He could feel it within himself, he knew but continued to deny it. He knew there was much more to it than he would admit. He felt something for that girl. In a way, she reminded him of Marie. She held that strong character and mind because only that way would she be able to do the job she did. Dealing with assassins, making sure that they were mentally, physically and emotionally stable among a few other things. He somehow admired her. Even so, she was still a vulnerable young woman. He was attracted to her and he hated having to admit even to himself. He tried to convince himself that that was impossible since it had been not long since Marie had been killed and it was as if he was betraying her memory. What kind of person was he? _Cold, uncaring, and assassin, that's who you are._ He scoffed. It was right, he was the kind of person most if not all people would want to stay away from.

He yawned and looked around the room, expecting to find a clock. He found nothing but he could guess that it was well past midnight and knew that if he was to get up early that morning he needed to get some rest, as challenging as that may be. He had to get up early to make sure he left the room with no trace of him and to get an early start at his continuing investigation, determined to find out the person he once was. He looked once more to the picture on the nightstand and closed his eyes only it wasn't Marie who he saw as he fell asleep, it was her, it was the woman who took over his dreams...Nicky.

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Please let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

He awoke to the sound of footsteps outside the room. He quickly propped up and listened intently. He looked down at his watch and saw it read 8:36. He cursed himself silently for having overslept. He got up and made his way to the door, softly and cautiously. He heard at least two distinct voices in the hall. He stood at least a foot from the door. He had to be careful. You never know what could be on the other side. For all he knew, someone could drive something trough the door. Then again someone could just shoot at it, hoping to hit the one on the other side. He forced those thoughts away as he listened, trying to decipher what they were saying.

He could barely hear them but he could tell it was a man and a woman. Probably a couple? They were talking silently almost whispering or at least trying to. He heard the man mutter something and the woman laughed until he hear a soft shh sound.

"_Be quiet...he could hear you."_

"_Right..."_

_...are you sure?"_

"_Yes, here...we wouldn't want to be discovered."_

He felt himself tense up and hurried to put his shoes back on, not waiting to hear the rest. He had heard enough to know that it was him they were talking about. He made his way to the bed and after having fully dressed he pulled open the drawer and grabbed the gun he placed there. After making sure it was loaded as he had left it the night before he grabbed the picture of the nightstand placing it inside his pocket, and almost knocking the lamp off but grabbing it before it hit the ground. He heard a series of gasps outside and he cursed himself yet again. He had been discovered. He contemplated whether to wait for them to barge in or take his chances and fight his way out. Taking a deep breath, he chose to do the second. He pulled open the door, aiming his gun in front of him, hearing the door slam against the wall and then a shrill scream.

He stood for a minute looking at the pair in front of him only to realize it was what appeared to be a very frightened couple. They appeared to be in their late thirties. He scanned them for any weapon and tried to get the woman to shut up. "**Both of you to the wall and you hush!**" The woman began to whimper and walked back against the wall. The man tried to calm her down, placing his arms around her in an embrace. "**Separate!**" he was getting annoyed by the noise the woman was making and on top of that the man would not cooperate. "**Hands above your head! You too!**" The man was either really stupid or in plain shock because he wouldn't comply. Getting frustrated, he aimed the gun at his head and ordered him again to do as he said. The woman began to whimper louder which came out more like squeals. "You I told you to hush lady, I don't want to hurt you!"

The man did as he was told and Jason began to check him for guns or anything that would give them away. "Who do you work for?" he asked after searching and finding nothing. He kept his gun aimed at the man but he said nothing. "I asked you, who do you work for?" The man muttered something but he couldn't make out what it was. "What?" He looked to the woman who had now hushed and was now looking from the man to Jason. _About time_. "Do you work for Landy? Are you part of the CIA?" not getting a response, he pushed the man against the wall, his arm pushing against the man's throat and the gun now pointing directly at his head. "Tell me who you work for or I swear I will pull the trigger!" he said through gritted teeth.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm a lawyer! I'm-I'm here with my wife. Please let me go. I'll give you my money. I have not much but I'll give it all nonetheless." he spoke in a desperate and hoarse voice also with what he could tell would be a french accent. He looked to the woman to see if he lied and saw her in tears. She was shaking slightly and after a minute of thinking this he realized that perhaps he was telling the truth. Just to make sure however, he asked for the man's identification. "Where is it?!" The man looked down, "pocket..left pocket." Jason let his hold on the man go but kept the gun aimed firmly at his head. He rummaged through his pocket and felt some keys and then the wallet. He opened it up and saw the identification read, Antoine Abney, 39 years old. He searched for other cards but found only credit cards as well as bank cards and a card that stated what the man had said he worked for. He closed the the wallet and placed it back inside his pocket.

"Now you!" he gestured towards the woman. She searched inside her purse and he momentarily aimed at her just in case she tried anything. She took out a pink wallet and handed it to him. He looked inside and saw her identification which read, Jane Williams, 36. "Who do you work for?" he asked still uncertain. "I'm a secretary." He looked at her to try and determined if she was telling the truth, once satisfied, he gave the wallet back to her. After realizing he had been wrong, he pulled the gun down and placed back behind his back and the shirt over it. "Well, I'm sorry then, but I had to make sure. I apologize. Well I hope that you have a nice stay here." She nodded quietly and the man continued to look at him. With that he retreated and glanced back to see the man had once again taken the woman in his arms, and tried to console her as she again broke into tears and sobs.

Just then he heard a door open and then a series of shouts. He paused on his to the elevator to hear a man yelling and cursing.

"_Why he?" _

"_Let-let-I can explain Eric.."_

"_You better well do!"_

"_This man, he-he held us at gun point! He-"_

"_Bullshit! Say the truth! This is what you wanted to come here for? To see your damn lover?! You slut!"_

"_Don't call her that!"_

"_What are you going to do about it?" _

He then heard a scream and then what he could only describe as wrestling, punching and grunts and the woman with her damn screaming again. With that he shrugged and walked off. Oops, he thought.

He hadn't even cleaned the room. He had made a mistake in jumping into conclusions so fast. He now realized the woman had been cheating and were talking about her husband discovering them. _Well serves them right. _He was uncertain where to go but thought the place where he had been born according to Landy, would be a good start.

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He walked out into the streets of New York, the cool air a great change from the warmth of the hotel. He pulled his coat closer to him and made his way through the crowds of people walking about. He looked around, expecting to be followed or finding snippers on the roofs. He saw none but made his way cautiously nonetheless. He wasn't about to make another mistake again. He knew that once the pair back in the hotel talked, the CIA would once again would be on his trail. _As if they weren't already. You just have to be careful Jason, no more getting carried away, no more mistakes. _

He made his way through the sidewalks bumping into people. He excused himself every so often as he did so. He was about to cross a street when he saw her. It was her, there was no doubt. She was looking around as if hoping to find someone. He stood motionless for a minute or two before he realized what was happening. She spotted him and smiling nervously, she waved at him. It all seemed unreal. She was wearing the exact same clothes as in his dreams. Black business attire with a coat draped over her and a matching scarf.

He looked around and saw nothing, just as he glanced to the roof of a building nearby however, he spotted them. There were snipers located there. He glanced back down to her and realized she was about to make her way over to him. "**NO!**" he shouted, all thought of not making a mistake again forgotten. "Stay where you are!" he shouted, startling yet again a few of the passerby's. He motioned for her to wait and startled, she too did as he said. Just then, he saw a man with the same characteristics as him and threw the man aside pulling him into a shop, putting his coat over him, as he took the man's hat and put it on. The man surprised although slightly annoyed began to protest when he pulled his gun out just to enough so the man could see. "Make your way through across the streets or I'll shoot." The man nodded and did as he said.

He doubted though expected for this diversion to work and so he made his way trough the crowd crossing the streets. He walked out and crossed the street as he said. He then followed after him, hoping that he wouldn't be caught. He saw Nicky walk over to the man only to stop and looked around as she realized it wasn't him. It had worked then. The seemingly stupid plan had worked. He walked by Nicky, and cautiously as to not draw attention to himself, he said loud enough for her to hear, "follow me, but make sure they don't notice." Startled yet again, she realized it was him, "make sure who doesn't notice?" He glanced at her a moment and realized that either she was a really good liar or she had no clue of the snipers. "Just follow me." With that, he walked off with Nicky following not so far behind.

Just as they made their way into an alley, he pulled Nicky aside and searched her for any sign of her wearing a mike or some form of equipment from the CIA. Satisfied, he told her to get rid of her coat and scarf. "Wha-what for?" she asked confused and somewhat frightened. "You'll be recognized right away and I can't have that, now do as I said." She did so and just as she threw her scarf on a nearby dumpster, he grabbed her hand and made a run for it.

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I'm not really good with these kind of stories but I am making a great effort so it'd be nice if you could just R&R please!


	3. Chapter 3

They were running through alleys and crowded streets at what seemed at full speed to Nicky. It was obvious that he was well in shape but as for her, being a woman with no training as he had, well just running down two blocks was well enough to exhaust her. Bourne however kept running, every so often looking back, for what or whom, was what she didn't understand.

Eventually, when it seemed that she was about to collapse, she let go of his hand and coughing from the cool air that had entered her lungs, backed against the wall behind her. Upon feeling her hand escape his, Jason immediately stopped, thinking they had been caught. He heard her coughing roughly and turned to face her only to find her leaning against the wall, face red, and her once, nice, blond hair now a mess.

He stood there for a moment unsure of what to do. Finally, he walked over to her as she tried to get her breath back and began rubbing her legs, massaging them. For some reason, this made him blush and he quickly turned away to face the street a couple of yards away. He cleared his throat and unsure of what to do or say he merely waited for her to speak. She was still breathing roughly. It seemed she was having difficulty breathing.

Finally, he turned to face her again and found her still leaning against the wall, hands at her sides and eyes closed. He took a moment to contemplate the woman standing before him. She really was beautiful, everything about her was perfect. Now that he thought about it, it seemed folly and a shame that he never noticed that before. Perhaps, had he not completely engrossed himself in his operations or concentrated at least half in his surroundings, none of this would had happened. Heck, he could have probably had something with her and who knows where that may have led. He would have probably _never_ taken his assignment in the Treadstone operation, _not_ failed, _not_ have been hunted down by the CIA and _not..._have met Marie.

At this, he remembered her smile, her cheerfulness and he shook his head trying to forget it all. It was stupid! How could he be fantasizing of life with another woman when the one who had loved, cared and risked her own life to be with him, had died. _She_ was the one he should be thinking of, _she_ was the one who died because of him; basically _for_ him. It was a betrayal from his part on her memory to be thinking of another woman, even if said woman was beautiful, and smart much like her. Then it hit him, was it possible that he was attracted to her because she reminded him of Marie? That was impossible though, how could she? They did share some qualities but they were very much different as well. Maybe it was just the fact that he was a man and it was in him to look at other women.

He was thinking on it all when he heard someone clear their throat which snapped him out of his reverie. He blinked a few times and found himself facing her. She was gazing at him with somewhat of an amused smile. At once, he felt himself go red in the face and looked down, clearing his throat as he did. It was embarrassing that she had caught him in what he considered to be one of his vulnerable moments. "Are you all right then?" he asked, unsure of what else to say.

Upon seeing Bourne slightly blush, Nicky smiled further. She was very well aware that Bourne was a dangerous man and that he could possibly get rid of her in a blink of an eye, but she also knew there more to him than anyone would ever know. She was sure that he had been a gentle, caring man once, back before assignment upon assignment of assassinations had turned him into a cold, uncaring person. He still had some of his natural traits in him. It was just a matter of having patience, of giving him time and the opportunity to demonstrate them, of that, she was sure.

"Well, are you?" Bourne interrupted her thoughts. He was looking at her, his features into a confused expression. Now it was her turn to blush. Unconsciously, she had fallen into her own reverie and had let Bourne witness it. "Uh...yes-yes I am, sorry." she smiled nervously. Whether it was the fact that she was standing next to Bourne, that she was about to undergo her own perilous mission, or perhaps that she was exhausted, her heart was beating to the point where she thought it would beat out her chest. Her legs were slightly shaking and her mind seemed to fail her in the least opportune moment.

"Are you here on Landy's orders?" he asked. His expression had gone from confusion to coldness, the kind every assassin bore when on their assignment. Her smile and blush quickly faded at his tone. "No...uh..I'm-err-well, yes and no." The confidence that she had before she had gone to meet him was quickly melting away beneath his glare. Should she tell him what she was really doing there? Should she let him know why she had gone looking for him? What if he didn't believe her though? It was clear that convincing him would not be easy, but then again, she never thought it would.

"How's that?" he asked, once more. Jason was curious as to how she knew where to look for him because he seriously doubted it had been due to pure luck or coincidence. "How did you know where to find me?" He had thought his dream was confusing but now he realized it was nothing compared to this. In his dream, he had not ran away with her into an alley.

"Bourne..." she said. He looked up to see her staring at him, with what he could only describe as an anxious and frightened expression. Now that he looked her over once more, he noticed she had paled and was trembling slightly. She seemed to be thinking something over before taking a deep breath and then speaking, "we need to talk."

He took a few steps towards her and noticed how she tried to conceal her panic by backing away, forgetting the wall behind. He stopped two feet away and crossed his arms, "fine, talk." She was breathing hard again, and realized then, just how much his presence frightened her. She blinked a few times before she responded, "Bourne, not here." He was confused now. Why not there? "And why not?" he asked. He was only finding that she was a really confusing woman. He waited for her to speak.

"Bourne listen to me..." but she was cut short when she felt his hands on her body. Shock reigned trough her as she felt his hands on her back. He began to run them up and down until they met with her bottom which produced a gasp from her. He ignored it as he brought them to her front. There he proceeded to run them through her belly and down her legs, both the front and the back, all the way to her ankles bending down to reach better. He then rose and brought his hands to hers and ran them up to her shoulders and down her sides to her belly once more. He then ran them back up once more, pausing an inch below her breasts and glancing to look at her before he ran his hands over them. She felt a wave of heat spread through her as he did so and closed her eyes. She then felt his hands stroking her neck and the back of her hair before they left contact. She opened her eyes once more and found him staring at her impassively.

"I was making sure you didn't have a wire on." he said. She felt herself blush again, "of course." She knew that was what he had been doing but even then, his touch had erupted in her feelings that she had not thought possible, at least from a man like him. "Listen Bourne, we need to talk, but we can't do it here." she said. She saw he was about to speak and hurried to hush him before he did. "Look, there's something you have to know but it's much too great a risk to talk here." she said looking around. "We need to go somewhere where there's people around."

His impassiveness had left to be replaced by anger. "You think I'm stupid?!" he hissed. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to go talk in a public place where I can have people recognizing me and the CIA or cops round on me in a matter of minutes?!" he said, his voice growing louder and louder on each word. Before he could continue however, she spoke, "No Bourne, but no one here yet knows of you. It was only in Europe and the other places that you visited that your face was shown in every wanted ad. With people around, the CIA won't risk it but if we're caught in alley with no one around..." She saw his anger fade and return to his normal self which being Bourne, it meant, well, Bourne-normal.

"Fine, let's go to a cafe and we'll talk there." he said, his voice becoming soft and almost gentle. "Okay, sounds good." she said nervously. They began to walk the way they had originally been running to until they came across a street. They stopped and looked around. The sun had already filled the sky and although it was shinning down on them, it didn't bring much warmth. _Yeah, and they say we're in the brink of global warming. _Having spotted a place where they could carry out their important conversation, she let Bourne lead her in the direction. She was surprised however, when she felt his hand grab hers as they walked away. She looked down and back up to him to be met by his gaze. "I have to make sure you won't leave." he said, smiling. Despite the situation and the man she was walking with, she smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

They finally reached the shop and entered but not before he looked around, just to be in the safe side she supposed. They made their way to a table in the corner and what she believed to be the tenth time that day, she was surprised. He pulled out her chair and she sat, thanking him as she did. He was actually a gentleman. He then made his way to sit across from her. The waitress came over and her, having already had breakfast, ordered a cup of coffee as he did the same. She remained quiet, unsure of how to break it to him.

Jason studied Nicky quietly as she seemed to struggle with something. He wasn't sure what it was that she needed to say to him but it was clear that whatever it'd be, it wasn't easy. He saw the waitress make her way with both cups of coffee, thanked her as she set them down and waited till she parted to speak. "Well then, what was it that you wanted to speak to me about?" he asked, calmly. Nicky looked up and he could see concern in her eyes, "Bourne, the CIA wants you." He scoffed, and seeing the worry in Nicky was enough to make him laugh. "I don't see what's so funny." she stated. Noticing the irritation, he stopped, clearing his throat before he talked. "That's no surprise. Really Nicky, is that what you came to talk to me about? Is this what it was all about? Cause if it is then, you must excuse me but I've got better things to do." he finished as he backed away from the table in his chair.

"No wait! That's not all." She looked impatient but not as much as _he_ was feeling. He propped against the table, leaning forward, waiting for her to continue. "The CIA wants you Bourne and..." she seemed to struggle with her next words, "they sent me to take you in." At her words, he felt his impatience turn to ire. He leaned back and looked around, becoming aware of everything around him. He could hear the couple a few tables away conversing, the door of the shop open, the waitresses asking for the customer's orders. He felt the pain in his head return as he began to lose focus on his sight. He grabbed his head and rubbed at his temples, trying to get rid of the headache. He could hear every single thing until it started to fade away and a voice calling him became stronger and stronger. "**Bourne!**"

He could feel two hands above his as his sight came into focus, he saw Nicky kneeling before him, worried. "Are you okay?" she asked. Unconsciously, he nodded. She turned to her side as he heard some muttering. "He's fine, thank you." she said, and smiled at whoever it was that she was talking to. "I'll bring him some water." he heard someone said. "Oh, that won't be necessary-"

"Nonsense, it's fine, really."

"Thank you." Nicky said.

He finally looked up and noticed he had almost all eyes on him. What had happened? He blinked a few times and leaned back against his chair again. Wait, wasn't he already leaning against it? "What happened?" he asked. "I'm not quite sure" Nicky said, as she stood and made her way to her chair. He saw everyone else return to their own business although sending a few skeptic glances his way. "I do think though that it was one of those constant headaches that you get. You seemed to be losing control of your body, I think you were about to faint." she finished.

Suddenly he remembered what she had said before the incident happened. "Wait, y-you set me up. Where are they?" he said, looking around and out the windows. "There's no one here Bourne, not from the CIA at least except me." she said. "You didn't let me finish before." She took in a deep breath before continuing. "They send me to take you in but...I won't do it. I told Landy that."

"Landy's in on this then?" he interrupted. Nicky seemed confused for a moment before she responded. "No, Landy doesn't work for the CIA anymore. She was...she was fired." He was the one confused now. "What do you mean, why would they fire _her_?" he asked, curious. "Well, apparently, she was doing some illegal work behind the CIA. She was caught and fired." He was still confused. He hadn't known Landy much but it just didn't seem right that she would do that. It didn't go with her, at least from what he could tell. After all, it was because of her that he knew his real name, birthday and place of birth.

"They shouldn't have fired her." he said thoughtfully. "Yes well, that's what a few of us think but then again it was probably better that way, at least she wasn't murdered, to cover it up." He thought about it a minute then realized that she was probably right, he was forgetting the kind of people they were talking about. "So then, if she did some illegal work then, why do you trust her?" he asked coolly. "Well, Landy doesn't seem the type to do that kind of thing and the couple of us who believe in her think that she was framed." He pondered on it a minute, "do you have any clue to whom it could be?" he asked softly. "Well, no I mean you are forgetting it's the CIA we're talking about, it could be anybody."

"Yeah, it could be you." he said accusingly. She seemed to have been surprised by his comment. "What?" she asked, confused. "Well, let's face it, you do work for the CIA, and well you just told me that they sent you to take me in. What do you expect me to believe?" he said, trying to defend his reason. "I expect you to believe me, that's what." she said, clearly offended. "You know, I came here to offer you my assistance and you accuse me of treachery! I see now that Landy was wrong and so was I!" she said angrily, as she got up. "No, wait!" he exclaimed, a bit too loud as he caught the attention of a few around him again. "Sit..." She did as he said and sat back down.

"What do you mean Landy was wrong and so were you? Why are you here?" he asked. Nicky looked down at her untouched coffee. "Before they fired her, we were informed of the task we were supposed to carry out. I didn't want to go trough with it mainly because I knew what a great risk it would be. Landy however, thought it was unfair to you. She still felt gratitude for having helped her before and realized that you deserved to be free of being hunted down. However, she knew that it would never stop and she told me to not do it. I told her then that I did not wish to carry out with the mission and she agreed to help me. We have a theory and we want to help you."


	5. Chapter 5

A middle-aged woman made her way to them carrying a glass of water. She set the glass down on the table before smiling to both Nicky and him. "Here's the glass, nice and cold. Sorry for taking so long, but the boy I sent to get it had to go clean some tables and I was busy attending the customers. Are you all better, yes?" she asked, looking from Nicky to him. He simply nodded before Nicky responded, "yes he is, thank you so much for the water." The woman smiled again, "oh it's quite all right dear. Ah I remember the days of courting. My husband almost fainted as well when he found out I was with child!" she said, as she laughed. Nicky half smiled before the woman continued. "You are such a beautiful girl, my dear, isn't she?" she asked Jason. He merely smiled and said, "yeah, she is." She smiled wider, "ah dear and you aren't bad looking either. You're so handsome. He's quite a charmer am I right?" she said, turning to Nicky. Now, he was interested, he remained silent as he waited for Nicky to respond. She blushed and smiled nervously, "yes, he is."

"Ah, well, aren't you the perfect couple!" she said joyous. He saw Nicky about to protest before the woman spoke again. "So, when is the wedding?" she asked excitedly. Now, normally a person like that would annoy the hell out of him but now, having Nicky there with him and watching her blush at every comment or question the woman sent her way, he found it quite amusing. Not only that but he was curious to see how Nicky handled the situation, how she would respond. "Uh...no-err-there isn't to be..uh-we al-" she was cut short by the woman. "Oh I see, you are already married! Aww, congratulations my dear!" exclaimed the woman as she leaned down to hug Nicky. She was completely flabbergasted as she simply patted the woman on her back, blushing deeply than he had seen her before. He was then caught off guard as the woman made her way to him and hugged him as well. He had no choice but to follow Nicky's example, feeling his face go completely red.

She then backed away smiling mischievously towards Nicky, "so, when is the beautiful baby arriving?" she asked. At this, if possible, Nicky turned completely red as she struggled to speak. "Uh..no-err..there isn't one...we-uh-no..." she said nervously, gesturing from her to him. "Oh, a shy one aren't you?" she said laughingly. At this, Jason couldn't help but laugh out. He had been trying to hold it in but this was just too much. Upon seeing his reaction however, Nicky seemed to have gone from red of embarrassment to red from anger. She was glaring at him before she smirked and turned back to the woman.

She gestured for the woman to get closer to her before she spoke, "uh no actually it isn't that. My _husband_ you see" she said, nodding his way, "he has a little problem, you know." she said almost whispering, clearing her throat and gesturing something below the table. The woman upon hearing this began nodding her head as she straightened and looked his way, "_oh_, I see. Well there isn't much too worry about." she said. "There are many pills these days that can help with that, he isn't the first man to have problems with _that_." she said smiling sympathetically towards him. Some of the people nearby laughed at what the woman said and some of the women nodded.

It was then that he realized what they were talking about. She looked over at Nicky and she was smiling smugly. He couldn't believe what was happening. They were making fun of his..of his-well, member! He didn't know what was more shocking, the fact that the whole group of people in the shop were laughing at him, they believed something that was not because it certainly wasn't or the fact that it was Nicky who had caused it. She had a whole lot more in her than he thought. Well he had two choices now, let the situation stay the way it was or get back at her. The thing was that, he was Jason Bourne, cold-blooded assassin with a past to uncover and had only been with one woman, he had no idea how to play along. This was something he had never signed on for when he joined the CIA.

"Well, thank you so much for the water. I'll make sure to take your advice then." he said calmly, much to the dismay of Nicky who seemed to have been left dumbfounded by his serenity. The woman smiled down at him and then back at Nicky. Just then the door opened and in walked a couple. "Well dears, I leave you two to it then, I've got some customers to attend to. Just so you know, you can always come back here, you will always be welcome." She was about to walk off when she turned to face them once more. "Just one question, what are your names dears?" she asked in a high-pitched tone. Nicky looked from Jason to the woman before answering, "uh...Nicky-Nicky Parsons, and this is-"

"David Webb." he finished softly. If they happened to go looking for him or if ever he should come back like the woman said, he wasn't going to risk being caught. "Well dears, it was a pleasure meeting you, if you need anything my name is Mrs. Davis. Well then I'll leave you to it. Good day" she said. "Good day to you too." Nicky responded sweetly. He merely smiled and nodded her way. "Just to be in the safe side huh?" Nicky said, after the woman had left. "What are you talking about?" he asked confused. "You lied, about your name." He looked outside before responding, "I didn't lie. That is my real name. Landy told me so as well as a few other data." She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Well then, you didn't finish telling me what your purpose here was." he said, bringing the subject of importance back to discussion. She took a sip of her coffee which had laid forgotten on the table. He look down at his and the glass of water. The coffee was probably cold by now and the water warm. "Well, like I said, I came to assist you Bourne. I don't want to be a part of the mission." she said almost sadly. "So, what you're saying is, you don't want to work for the CIA anymore, is that it?" he asked questioningly. She seemed to think about it a moment, "in a way, yes." she drawled. "Well how are you going to accomplish that?" he asked unsure. "First off, Landy is the one person I trust and she can help me do that but in order to do so, she must get her job back." she said. He was about to ask her how she would manage that before she continued. "She can only do that if she finds out who is behind it all, and for that we need someone to help us." she finished almost hopefully. As she said this, she looked over to him and it was then he realized what she was suggesting. "So you want me to help you get Landy back her job by finding who's framing her and in turn you can quit the CIA?" he asked skeptical. "Yes." she said. He scoffed, "why not just quit now?" he asked. "Why go through all that trouble?"

"Well because I gave Landy my word that I would help her and besides, do you know how difficult it is to just simply walk away? Landy was lucky that she was simply fired and not killed. Even now, I believe that she's being watched." she said, trying to defend her point. "Well if it's so, then how do you expect me to help you when every agent in the CIA is looking for me?" he asked questioningly. "Not everyone in the CIA is the same. There are some guys who are willing to help. They used to work for Landy along with myself and they're loyal to her. They know just much corruption there is amongst them and they knew Landy wasn't like that even if she was fired because of supposed evidence that proved otherwise." Jason thought about it all before he asked coolly, "and how does that benefit me?"

"Once this all has been sorted out, under Landy's orders we can get the CIA to stop hunting you and help you uncover your past." she said softly. "Really? Then why didn't she do that before? Back when she had her job?" he asked arrogantly. "Because Bourne, there was Abbott and he shared a handful of help believe it or not. However, now, if we uncover who's framed Landy, the director will see that her decisions had been good and if her decision is to quit hunting you down, he'll let it be. So you see? It's a win-win situation here. Now, will you do this or not?" she asked.

Jason thought about it all. It all sounded very difficult and the outcome of discovering said treacher would be difficult, but then again if they did manage to do, they would be in debt with him. They would have no choice but to help him. What if, though, they were lying? What if it was all a set up? What if they were trying to frame _him_ now for something else and have more reason to hunt him down? He thought about it all. Well, he could agree to help but still keep his guard up. "Fine, I'm in." he said. Nicky smiled and seemed to relax a bit. "Good, and thanks." she said. He stood and made his way to Nicky and pulled the chair back. She stood and and thanked him.

"Well then, to my apartment it is." she said, cheerfully. This however, surprised Jason. "Wh-what?" he asked anxiously. "Well I need to gather at least a few pair of clothes." He was beyond confused now. "Clothes, for what?" he asked, still confused. "Well, I seriously doubt you carry any women clothes with you and I don't think you'll buy me any." she said sarcastically before chuckling. "Why would I? I don't understand." She smiled again, "well, if we're going to be hiding now, I can't exactly go back to my apartment every single day now can I?"

"Hiding?" he asked, confusion clear in his tone. "Well isn't that what you're doing? Constantly on the run? If I'm going to be doing that then I need some clothes." He crossed his arms and smiled, "what are you talking about now? What do you mean you'll be doing that?" he asked. "Well, I thought we had already agreed on that. I'm going to go into hiding with you now. Basically, I'm going to be your partner in crime." she whispered the last words, with a smile as she tucked in her chair and his and walked off, leaving him completely speechless.

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Hope you all liked it! And if I make a mistake or something with the story I'm sorry but I really don't know much, just from what I could get off the movies. Hope I don't disappoint you all too much! Please keep R&R and thank you all who did!


	6. Chapter 6

They had made their way to her apartment in half an hour. The subway wasn't the best way to go but they thought it would do for now. They didn't speak much on their way either. She was partly glad because she was still embarrassed about the way she had acted back at the cafe. She didn't know what had gotten into her. The joking around with the woman and then the little humorous flirt she pulled with Bourne before she walked out, it was all unknown to her. She tried to pin it on the fact that she was nervous and tried to act casual, to show Bourne that she wasn't lying, that she wasn't what he believed her to be. The other part of her however, wanted him to say something. The silence felt awkward.

They had arrived at her apartment building and they made their way through the glass doors, smiling at the valet as they did so. She knew that the CIA would not be checking up on her there but she couldn't help but glance around before walking in. Bourne followed close behind, silently. She continued walking, as well as looking around while trying to act casual. The last thing she wanted then was to act suspicious and make Bourne doubt her. She walked over to the elevator and pushed the button, hoping it wouldn't take long for it to come down.

She glanced nervously over to Bourne to find him looking over to the entrance. She couldn't tell whether he was nervous, skeptical or frightened, although the thought of that was somewhat unrealistic. After all, this was Bourne she was talking about. She heard a small ding and she turned to face the elevator. The doors opened and she stepped aside for the people to step out, as she saw Bourne from the corner of her eye, do the same. After everyone had gotten off, she stepped in and he followed as well. She pushed the button to her floor and looked over her shoulder once more to Bourne. He made an attempt of a smile and so did she.

A few moments later, the elevator came to a stop and she walked off as the doors opened. She walked down the hall, took a left until she met the wall. Her room was the one in the very corner. She fumbled through her pockets looking for her keys, cursing under her breath for not having taken her purse. Finally, she found them, and she opened the door. She was about to walk inside when she felt a hand stopping her. Bourne had grabbed her arm and as she looked over to him for an explanation he said, "Let me take a look first, make sure it's safe." She nodded and stepped aside for him to walk in.

As he walked inside she saw him pull out a gun from beneath his shirt. _So he __**was **__armed_. Although she supposed he would, the fact that he had been carrying a gun with him this whole time, made her feel edgy. She leaned against the door as she waited for him to come back to tell her it was safe. Finally, after a few moments of waiting, she saw him heading towards her and nodded placing the gun back where it had originally come from. She sighed and stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. "I won't be long, just make yourself comfortable." He nodded but remained standing. She too, stood there for a minute, looking at him until he cleared his throat and said softly, "well are you going to pack or..."

"Oh yes, yes I am. Sorry, I'll just be going on now then." she said smiling nervously as she walked off, glancing back at him. _What's wrong with you Nicky? Don't lose yourself. That is the last thing you want to do, __**especially**__ now._ Shaking her head and sighing deeply she walked over to her room, hoping she would be calmer by time she was done.

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He saw her walk off to the direction of her room and he took this time to observe. It seemed that she was actually a very organized and neat person. The apartment was impeccable and nicely decorated at least in a woman's touch, down to the last detail. He walked over to a small wooden table by the couch and picked up a picture of her and an older looking woman and man. _Must be her parents_. He set it down again and made his way to the couch. He sat down on it, enjoying the feeling it brought. The whole apartment brought a feeling of coziness and warmth, something that he had not felt in a long time. At least not since Marie died. 

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back to rest. He was still skeptical about the whole plan. What if it didn't work out? _Now_ where was he going to go? This all changed everything. Not only was he going to be looking after the CIA as always but now, he had to look out for her as well. He would be traveling with her and that put them both in a much greater risk. It was another live in danger that he didn't want to lose, because of course, she was the key to discovering his past. _Not_ for any other reason _at all_, he tried to reassure himself.

He thought back when they were in the alley. Back on when he had ran his hands through her body. It was true that he was looking for a hidden mike but still, the feel of her beneath his touch sent goosebumps through him. Just because he was a man that posed no emotion did not mean that he was void of any feeling at all. He had been aroused by his actions, even more by the way she had reacted to them. She had enjoyed it, that much he could tell. She had closed her eyes when he ran his hands through her bosom and when he had stroked her neck and head. He smiled on the thought. It was clear that as shy as she may be, she was still a woman and sensual beneath it all.

That was what made it even more difficult to accept this task. He thought it over once more. Maybe it would be best if she would stay. They could continue to see each other secretly to swap information every so often without putting her at risk. She wouldn't have to leave her home behind, especially not for him. He thought about it for a moment and came to a decision. He heard footsteps and could only guess it was her coming back to the living room from packing. He looked over and sure enough, it was her. She had changed into some blue jeans, white blouse and some brown suede flat boots. She had a suede jacket over her as well and a matching brown, suede handbag.

"Well, I'm done." she said softly, smiling although he could tell it was a sad smile. He stood and made her way over to her, leaving his comfortable place behind. That was pretty much what she would be doing. "Nicky." he said softly. She looked up to him, waiting for him to go on. "Listen, I don't think this is necessary." he said, his voice holding an unfamiliar gentleness. "The packing or the..what?" she asked, confused. "This, _all_ of it." he said louder, extending his arms. "Look, I thought it over and I don't think it's such a good idea for you to join me." he said, his voice once again soft. "I-what do you mean? I thought we had discussed it already." she said, defiantly. "Yes, but I thought about it and it's not safe for you to do this Nicky, you don't have to. Look we can go back to the things were and we can set up a time and place for us to meet every so often, secretly."

"Bourne...I am going to do this, whether you like it or not. I gave my word to Landy." he was about to protest but Nicky continued. "I understand the risks but I'm not going to back out now, so you can stop trying to convince me otherwise." she said, her voice defiant and strong, despite being sweet, shy Nicky. Jason thought about it for a moment before sighing and finally giving in, at least he had tried it. "Fine, we'll have it your way but we have to be careful, very careful." He looked down to see the suitcase she would take to find none. He looked around but it was nowhere in sight. "Where's the suitcase?" he asked confused. "What?" she asked, confused as well. She thought about it a moment before she realized what he had meant. She turned to her side to show off a knapsack that seemed to be only partially full. "This is it." she said, smiling and blushing as she did. He merely nodded and returned the smile.

"Well, better get going then right?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful, much too cheerful. "Yeah, yeah we should." he said, almost in a dreamlike state. They started walking towards the door and upon reaching it, she stopped and looked around the room one last time. This would be the last time she would be seeing the place and she was sure going to miss it. After all, she would be sleeping around in strange places from time to time, none of which she would be able to call home. At least she would be safe. It seemed kind of ironic of her to think that way but she couldn't help but to do so. Although Bourne was an assassin, she knew that while she was with him, he would keep her safe. She didn't know how it was that she knew that but she did. She was sure she wasn't wrong. He would protect her from the people she once believed to have kept her safe. _Oh the irony in that._

"Ready?" Jason said, softly, interrupting her from her thoughts. She turned to face him and nodded, unable to do more. She walked away slowly as if in doing so the mission she was about to embark on would be delayed. After a moment, she heard footsteps following close behind her. She made her way to the elevator a bit too sadly because as Bourne caught up to her, he put a hand on her shoulder, which startled her. She turned to face him and in a very soft, voice he asked her, "are you okay?" He sounded concerned, which was a bit surprising coming from him. She nodded, "yes, thank you. It's just well, I'm leaving my home. I really don't know see why I'm like this. I'm making such a big deal out of nothing-"

"You're not. It was your home and you're leaving it behind for something that you don't know whether it will work out or not." he said in a soft yet definite voice, trying to reassure her. She smiled at him. She was starting to see a different Bourne, the one she knew existed beneath the coldness. "Well then, where to?" she asked, a bit more cheerful than before. She heard the ding and the doors were opened as they stepped inside. "We could start by looking for a place to stay for the night or we could go somewhere privately."

Nicky jerked her head his way when she heard what he said. She had an shocked and confused expression on her face. Upon seeing this, he quickly added, "to talk. I'm sure there's more discuss than what we did back at the cafe." Her face grew red at his words. _Of course! _It wasn't that she thought wrong because it wasn't like that; more to the fact that she knew Bourne was not the type of guy to do or suggest such a thing. She was just caught off guard, that was all. "Okay then, do want a place here or..." she trailed off, expecting for him to say something. "Well it doesn't really matter much, just somewhere that we can rest and it's not too populated. Know of anywhere?" he asked, hopefully. "Not really, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find." she said, hoping she was right.

"Right." he said, doubtful. He could feel his stomach rumble. He looked down at his watch and was surprised to see it read 11:53. Was it really that late? It wasn't the fact that it was late but the fact that time had gone by so fast. _So it is true then, time flies when one's having fun_. With that he heard the elevator ding to let them know they had arrived. He looked up and saw quite a group waiting to get in.

He hurried out as did Nicky. Some people however, were much too rude and eager that they were stepping in before they walked off. With the pushing and shoving they sent Nicky against one of the elevator's wall. He was about to protest when he felt someone with tremendous force he might add, push him towards her. He wasn't expecting it, which sent him flying over to her. He landed with quite an impact before her. He looked down to her to apologize when he realized she was looking up at him.

Their faces were merely a few inches away. He could feel her warmth through her clothing. She smelled wonderfully sweet as well, of roses and jasmine. He could tell she was breathing hard. Her eyes fixed on his. It was then that he didn't know how or why, he got the sudden urge to kiss her. Just as he was bending down towards her, she turned away towards the elevator doors, "no wait!" She looked back at him with what seemed to be a distress expression but not for long. She diverted her gaze and walked out as he followed after.

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Ok, I really hope I can make it up to you all with the next chapter. I know there's not much action here but I don't have such a good mind to be making up crazy fighting scenes and escapes or romance everytime though I try. Please continue to R&R! I don't know whether I'll update tomorrow, meaning Thursday cause it's my b-day but I'll try. Anyway thank you all who review!

Oh and just to let you all know, I'm not very good with the romantic scenes or details so bear with me please and sorry. Anyway as always, I hoped you enjoyed.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: For those of you who read the previous chapter and were confused about the elevator scene, I apologize. I _did_ make a mistake, it was supposed to say Nicky but I wrote Marie instead so no it wasn't a flash-back. I edited however, so those of you who read the edited version don't worry about it.

In case you're wondering, I _do_ read over my stuff but I have the tendency to sometimes write then read something and although it says something else, in this case "Marie" when clearly it was supposed to say _Nicky_, my mind for reason reads it off as right, this case I read it thinking it said Nicky. Did I confuse you all? Oh well, I'm sorry, I can't explain, I'm so bad at it so I won't even try, so forget it.

Thank you to all those who reviewed. For those who are wondering and asking me, _yes_ it is supposed to be a Jason/Nicky fic, if it was for the "Marie" mistake then I apologize, again. I really must get a new brain. Anyway, I _really_ hope you like this chapter.

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He was walking close behind her after the little incident in the elevator. It had clearly been a mistake, and weak of him. However, so deep in thought was he that he didn't notice a man standing before the receptionist watching him closely. Jason kept on walking, trying to decide whether or not to apologize to Nicky. The look in her face was hard to differentiate. Had she realized what he was about to do? Had she noticed what his intentions were? He looked up to see her slowing down. Perhaps she was going to confront him. He then felt himself at a loss of words. What would he say to justify himself? 

He glanced up and in doing so noticed the man who was no longer by the receptionist but walking swiftly towards them. At once, Jason knew he was an assassin. It was the damn CIA! They had followed them. He hurried to Nicky and grabbed her by her arm. Startled, she turned to face him and was about to say something but he cut her off. "We have to go, **now**." he said firmly. She was confused but didn't object, merely nodded. They made their way through the people who were both entering and exiting the building. Although he wanted to get the hell out of there, he didn't want to make a big scene, or at least not yet so he hurried out with Nicky still withing his grasp. She was nervous and scared, that much he could tell. He wanted to reassure her but there was no time.

He looked back and in doing so, noticed a security guard who was also on their trail uttering something into a radio, and the agent still behind, trying to evade the crowd. Knowing full well there was no time and it was useless to walk out, giving them an advantage, he whispered a bit too loud for his liking to Nicky, "**run!**" They ran or at least tried to out the doors, but Nicky was much too heavy, well, her knapsack was. She was slowing them down. He pushed through the many people entering as they tried to get out the way. He was holding Nicky's hands who he might add, were shaking slightly. He looked back and saw the man reaching to his waist and Jason knew what it was he was going for.

They had made it out the building and were now running at full speed or at least what they could, due to the bag they carried. He crossed the street barely even glancing around to make sure it was safe. He heard tires screech as they came into a halt and a man shouting out something who he could only guess was directed at them. They were about to run a corner when he heard screaming and then a shot being fired, barely missing them by a couple of inches as they made contact with the building at his right. He didn't need to look, he knew it was that man. He told Nicky to get low and continue to run as he pulled out his own gun as well. It would be hard, trying to evade the people while he looked after Nicky and tried to aim at the guy but he had to try. It was either that or let him get a good shot and end up being killed. He was not about to let it happen, not when he had made it that far and still had such a long way to go.

The screaming grew louder the more he ran, when he heard two more shots who once again missed but were getting awfully closer at each one. He turned around and sought the man hurriedly, finding him jogging towards him, loading his gun. He knew it was his chance. He saw the man glance up and panicked as Jason met his gaze and fired. The bullet missed him as he evaded it with difficulty, throwing himself on the ground and losing the gun in the process. He fired at the man but only managed to hit him in the arm as he rolled out the way. At this Jason made a run for it, screaming for Nicky to see where she had run off to. He then saw her run out from somewhere, a few shops ahead. He caught up to her and grabbed her by her hand once more as he hid his gun in his coat's pocket.

"Where is he?" she asked in a panicked, shaking voice, looking around. He glanced back but didn't see him. He was gone. _Where did he go?_ He still had Nicky by the hand and they were jogging as fast as they could, or at least as fast as Nicky could go. They were passing shops and people, some of them who threw them odd looks and tried to get out of the way to avoid being shoved. Others paid no attention to the pair.

"Bourne, where _is_ he?!" Nicky asked again in a shrill voice. He looked back once more but he wasn't after them. He slowed down and came to a halt. He took a moment to look around, expecting for him to have been hiding amongst the crowd, but he was proven wrong. Sensing they were safe, at least then, he looked around for a cab. They needed to get the hell out of there, and fast. Spotting one a couple of yards away in the adjacent street, he gestured for Nicky to follow. He put his hand behind her back and led her towards it.

Just as they were reaching the end of the building in the corner, he felt someone whack him on the head. He doubled over, his sight blurred from the impact, as he heard Nicky scream in the same shrill voice. He looked up and saw Nicky being pushed back into the ground as his sight came into focus. He felt anger surge through every vein in his body. He threw himself at the individual, tumbling down into the pavement below and recognized him to be the same man who had been following them. _How the hell did he manage to get there so fast? _Jason landed on top of the him and began punching the man, rage taking over. The man's hands then snaked around Jason's neck, trying to strangle him, weakening Jason. He ceased the punching as he _too_ put his arms around the man's neck and pushed down with both thumbs, trying to suffocate him, so he would loosen his grip on him.

He was weakening by the second and he couldn't tell whether the man was going through the same thing. He tried to wriggle out of his hands but couldn't. His breath was coming short, his oxygen was being cut off. He couldn't see, but he knew he must be a few deep shades of red at the face. His ability to think was fading away as was his energy, therefore his clutch on the man's neck was too. Just as his sight was once again becoming hazy, he was able to make out a faint cry or groan, he couldn't quite distinguish. He felt the man let go completely as Jason coughed and wheezed trying to get his breath back. He felt someone grab hold of his arm, pulling him up. He struggled to stand as his sight began to clear. Suddenly, he was being led through the street bumping into people. His sight soon came into focus, in time to see the man lying on the ground, his face a bloody mess, before it was blocked by people who had gathered around him, and throwing horrified glances his way.

"Come on, we have to go." a soft, yet anxious voice. He glanced up to see who it was at his side to see Nicky with a stream of deep, red trail of blood down the left side of her face. He reached to touch it but she pulled his hand back down. "Not now, they'll be here any minute. We have to go." she said firmly and almost irritated. He turned around to face the direction they were headed, as he had been walking backwards. He heard a siren not by far and Nicky hurried her pace as did he. He was still stunned and therefore not in the best of his senses. He saw a cab up ahead, and he grabbed Nicky's arm hurrying towards it, the one they had seen earlier was now long gone.

He could hear the siren getting closer and closer and as he turned to Nicky, he realized she was limping, failing to have noticed earlier. The noise from all around then, became louder and louder still. The car's honking, people shouting at a distance and a few gasps and whispering as he shut his eyes, trying to drown it all down. Music from a nearby shop or vehicle, was annoyingly banging, as well as a dog's barking. Dog? What the hell was a dog doing there? He felt sharp pains in his head, it was that damn headache. A couple of steps more and they had reached the cab. They quickly boarded, Nicky sliding inside and him almost tumbling down as he did. Having no idea where to go, he kept quiet when he heard Nicky utter, "uh...Queens."

He looked over at her, brows furrowed in confusion. _What were they going to Queens for? _She glanced at him confused as well, and nervously as she tried to mouth something like 'I don't know', but he wasn't quite sure. He nodded at her in agreement. He didn't quite care where they went so long as they were far from there. He looked over at the silent cab driver and noticed he was a middle-aged man who seemingly didn't care about their disheveled appearance or he knew to keep out of other's business. As they passed the site where they had run off from, he saw that there was still people huddled and the police and ambulance had arrived. Some officers were talking to some of the individuals who made wild gestures pointing back to the direction him and Nicky had originally run off to. At least they were leading them wrong. He smiled inwardly for it.

"Boy, wonder what happened there," the cab driver said, questioningly, glancing curiously at the scene. The man obviously had no clue. "Yeah, I wonder." Jason said dully, glancing back to Nicky. She met his gaze and smiled weakly as she covered her wounded side with her hair. He returned her smile as she leaned against the window to rest.

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I know it's short and I apologize, I really hope you enjoyed it and although I went over it, like I explained above, I may have made a mistake. If I did do tell me so I can correct it. For all of you who have given me constructive criticism, as I take it, I am trying to take that in mind but remember I'm not so good at this. Anyway please R&R! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks once again for those who reviewed and that constructive criticism. I tried to fix the quotes and dialogue but I'm really not getting what some of you said, (leave space between the dialogues of the characters)...I did it this time or at least I think I did. I'm not that smart, meaning I don't really understand what you're trying to say. I _tried_ though and I _am trying _so bear with me.

Also, when I cut the part of when he wakes from the dream, the first paragraph is him after he woke up and he's thinking about it. The italics is the dream he had. The next two paragraphs with Nicky's point of view is basically after he's had the dream and Jason is thinking about it (meaning the first paragraph I just said) Did I confuse you? Sorry, I hope you get it.

Also, I'll try to update as soon as I can but I'm working on my own fic at fictionpress and another fic here so it's kind of hard. Anyway hope you enjoy it!

* * *

They had arrived at Queens later on after what seemed hours to Jason, and decided it would be best to look for a place to stay rather than to walk about. Both their injuries were of greater importance and they would need to wash before they caught the attention of others. Paying the cab driver and thanking him, they stepped out. "Should we wash up first or go to a hotel?" Nicky asked as she looked from the cab driver to Jason. He was observing his surroundings, expecting to see someone else had caught up with them but found it to be safe.

They had gotten off while in the middle of traffic. The cab driver insisted on taking them where they needed to go but Jason wanted to find a place to go to now. There were shops everywhere and a hotel nowhere to be seen. "We should really look for a place to stay. We need to heal those wounds of yours and you need to rest, besides, we didn't get to have that talk." he said quietly, so no one but them could hear. Nicky nodded in agreement, it was best to simply follow. He was the one who had been doing this much longer than she had, he knew what he was doing, she really wished he did.

They started walking off when suddenly, she got dizzy. The noise from the outside world became faint as well as her sight. It had become a blur and she felt her legs go weak. She then felt someone grab her by the waist and everything came back to normal. She looked up to see Jason staring at her with a worried expression. Before he asked, she nervously stated, "dizzy, that's all." Jason stayed quiet but looked around. "You need to eat. The fall, the fright and the wound on your head has made you weak." Nicky was about to protest, "no, it's fine re-"

"Come on." Jason said as he lead her across the street still holding her by her waist. She supposed he didn't want her to faint and make a scene. _Yes, that was all. _"One, with everything please." she heard Jason say as they came to a halt. She'd been looking around and didn't notice they had stopped at hot-dog stand. "Is that for me or..." she said uncertain, trailing off as she saw Jason grabbing a soda and handing it to her. "Excuse me, sir, do you know of a motel or hotel nearby?" Jason asked the man. The man looked up and handed Jason the dog. "Why yes, there's a motel a couple of streets down." he said, pointing towards it. "Thank you," Jason said, as he put his arm around her waist once more and handed her the dog. "No problem, have a good one." the man said cheerfully as Jason looked back and nodded.

They walked for what seemed forever to Nicky but they had finally arrived and she had finished eating by then. They had been given a room with a single bed since the ones with two had already been taken. She had to admit that she was not at all comfortable but Jason had not protested nor had asked her what she thought about the arrangement. When they got there, she realized it was much too small for her liking but she had to keep it to herself. "You sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on the floor." he said, clearing his throat. She put her knapsack down on the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She pulled her now sticky hair away from the wound and just realized how bad the blow had been. She opened the water until it was warm and pulled a hand towel to it. Wetting it, she slightly brushed it against her skin. She then made her way to the source of the flow of blood and dabbed at it. It sort of stung but she could deal with it.

She wet it again and looked up to the mirror to see Jason standing by the door, looking at her. She blushed a bit although she didn't know why. "Here, let me." he said softly, taking the cloth from her. He brushed her skin ever so slightly and gently and she felt goosebumps at his touch. "How did you get this?" he asked, snapping her out her dream like state. "Oh, err-the guy, he pushed me and I fell back, hitting my head as I made contact." she said nervously. "That as..." he said trailing off. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked. "Nothing." muttered. He continued cleaning her wound until it was done. "Okay, now what happened to your leg?" he asked, bending down. "Nothing, I kind of lost my balance when he shoved me and my ankle sort of gave away." she said, hurriedly.

"Let me have a look at it." he said, reaching towards her feet. "No, it's fine, really. It's just a matter of me walking more and it'll get better." she said nervously. She was embarrassed and there was no need for him to check her. It was true, she would be fine. "Nicky, let me have a look at it." he said firmly. Sighing in defeat, she pulled her leg towards him. He gazed up to look at her silently and she felt herself blush. He rolled her jeans over to her knee and softly took her boot off, followed by the sock. He examined it carefully and rubbed at it, producing a few gasps and winces from her part. He did this for a couple of minutes before he placed her foot back down and stood. "Well, it's just sprained I think. I'm going to go and get a dressing to place on it, and get some food while I'm at it."

"Well, I'll go with you." she said as she made to get up. "No! You stay here and rest. I'll go, it'll be faster that way besides if I find myself with someone I can evade them and make my way here safely." he said firmly. He held out his hand and helped her make her way to the bed. Once she was safely lying on it, he walked off to the door before he paused and turned to look at her as if he wanted to ask her something. "Nicky, what happened with the man that chased us?" he asked curiously. She blushed yet again before she answered him. "Well, after I got my sight back, I kicked him on the face. He deserved it." she said nervously, partly smiling. He smiled too, "yes he did. Thank you." he said softly before he headed out.

* * *

It was late in the night that he awoke after the same dream he'd been having for the past few days. Tonight however, was different. The dream had remained the same except for one significant thing. Whether it constituted for something major or not, it was difficult to decide, seeing as how he couldn't manage to make up his mind about whether or not the dream meant something at all. Said dream always ended with Nicky dying in his arms when she would tell him to run. He would tend to wake up frantically after that. Today was no different except that this time, Nicky uttered a few more words before she would die.

"_I-I'm sorry Jason...pl..se for-forgive me..." she said in a gravelly voice, barely audible. She was lying in his shaking arms drenched by her blood. The wound had been inflicted inches above the area of her heart. Blood spilled out in immense amounts as she fought to stay alive. Her breathing had become shallow. Her features were fading from her rosy coloring to the paleness of death. She was shaking slightly as she sought to bring her hand upon his which was lying above the wound, trying to keep the blood from flowing out. _

"_There is nothing to forgive you for. I'm the one that's sorry...please Nicky, just hang on, help will come soon, please don't leave me! Not you too..." he whispered in a shaking voice as he tried to control his emotions. Losing her would be by far the biggest blow yet. He saw her close her eyes and panic swept over him thinking she was gone. They fluttered back open and he felt a small fraction of relief. _

_She gazed up to him and noticed her open her mouth to say something but no words came out. She did however, managed to get out some incoherent sounds. "Don't Nicky, shh...it'll be all right." Nicky ignored him and very softly he heard her say, "I...I-lv...run..." and with that her eyes closed forever as he was left on the pavement holding on to her lifeless body rocking back and forth as his tears flowed freely. _

"_No-"_

"Nicky!" he heard himself shout out frantically. The real live Nicky startled by Jason's sudden outburst sprung out of bed within seconds, hurting her ankle in the process. She looked frantically around only to be met by Jason's agitated figure sitting on the floor. She made her way over to him and knelt beside him as she extended a shy hand to him. She touched him slightly on his shoulder as she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?" she asked uncertain.

He didn't answer, merely looking straight ahead, panting softly, sweat dripping down his forehead and neck. It was clear that he had been having a nightmare, perhaps he was remembering. She kept at the same position she was for a moment, unsure of what to do. She didn't have full confidence to shake him out his thoughts but she couldn't leave him that way. Half unconsciously, she moved in front of him, spreading both her legs apart between his, wincing at her pained ankle. She placed both her hands on his shoulders and shook him slightly, gently. "Bourne, listen to me..." she said softly but firmly.

He'd been staring at the wall his mind fixed upon his dream that he hadn't noticed Nicky who was now blocking his view. He looked at her a moment and blinked a few times before he completely snapped out of his reverie. He could feel warmth in his legs and looked down to see she was partially sitting on him. Both confused and shocked, he gazed back at her before he spoke in a soft voice, "I'm sorry."

Nicky furrowed her brows in confusion, "about what?" she asked curiously now. "What happened?" he asked, ignoring her question. "That's what I wanted to know." she said worriedly. "It was nothing" he said after a moment. "It didn't seem like nothing." she said, uncertain. Why wouldn't he tell her? What was so bad about a dream that he couldn't come to talk to her about it? "Why don't you want to tell me?" she asked exasperatedly. After a moment she moved away from him and sat back down at her bed, realizing he wouldn't talk.

Jason followed Nicky with his gaze. Perhaps he should tell her about the dream but he wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to do so. How would she react when she knew he was having dreams of her dying? He pondered on it for a moment before sighing deeply and finally spoke in a soft voice, "I dreamt of you dying."

Nicky simply sat there looking at him as if she hadn't heard a thing when she was actually shocked and thinking about what he had said. "I-do your dreams ever come true?" she asked nervously. "They're usually not dreams, they tend to be glimpses from my past." he said quietly. "In the dream, we meet like the day we actually met but when you make your way to me, you get shot, saving me. This time, before you died, you told me you were sorry and something else that I couldn't make out." he finished softly, thinking back on the dream. "Any idea what it could mean?" she asked, hopefully. "No." he said almost whispering.

After a few minutes of silence, Nicky spoked almost nervously, hoping that Jason wouldn't object. "Fine, this is what we'll do. We stay here tomorrow. That way, the CIA will have lost trace at least for a while. Then, we go look for Cronin and stay there for a couple of days." she said nervously although trying to sound firm. "Who's Cronin?" Jason asked, confused. "He's Landy's right-hand man, Tom Cronin." she said nonchalant. "He was fired too?" he asked interested. "No...he's still with the CIA..." she said, hoping Jason wouldn't go mad. He laughed, a strange laugh as he stood up. "He's with the CIA and you want to go pay him a visit and not only that but stay there a couple of days?" he said sarcastically. "Might as well turn ourselves in." he continued with the same tone.

"No wait, think about it. The CIA is going to be looking for us everywhere within miles from them. They won't expect us to be hidden amongst their own. It'll be perfect, besides, it's Cronin we're talking about. He's in this with us. He wants to get Landy back in her rightful place. He _will_ help us." she said defending her reason. "And how do you know he still works for her. He could have been lying or already been corrupted." Jason said trying to defend his own. Nicky thought for a moment before she answered, "no, I know Cronin, he was loyal to Landy, he wanted to help her. He didn't believe it was fair."

Jason thought about it for a moment. It all seemed too incredible to pull of not to mention risky but it was also possible that it would work. Like she had said, the CIA wouldn't expect them to be amongst their own and wouldn't look there. Then again, could they really trust this Cronin guy? He stayed quiet a moment before answering, "fine, we'll try it _but_," he said, emphasizing, "if I so much as _feel _he's to betray us, we're gone." he said firmly. Nicky thought about it a moment, "okay, thank you _Jason_."

He looked at her in confusion. She had called him Jason, not Bourne, but his first name, well the name the CIA appointed him, but his name nonetheless. She smiled at him with a seemingly amused smile, she could probably see his confusion. He forced a smile and turned to his side, his force smiled now anything but forced. She followed suit, welcoming sleep when it came.

* * *

I hope this chapter didn't dissapoint you as much and I really hoped you enjoyed it. I know the story seems to be going at a slow pace but this is the first time I try a fic like this. Normally I would just think them up but not decide to write them out. Anyway please R&R! 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Firstly and as always, thank you all who reviwed! I'm glad you all gave this story a chance and liked it so far. Also thank you for bearing with me on the slow pace.

Now, I know this chapter will probably not be what you expected but I _do have_ to write in some of the things crucial for the plot. I know, I know, there's not much Nicky/Jason in this but I hope the next chapters will compensate for that.

Also, I'll probably won't be updating daily as I had hoped because I'll have a lot more things to do now but I will try to update at least weekly. However, _**if **_I can update sooner then I will.

Now I have to admit that I don't know much how the CIA and all that works and I'm trying my best so if I make a mistake I'm sorry!

Also, one question. I haven't seen Ultimatum but I thought I saw a scene where Nicky has dark hair, is that true? I have not seen it and I don't know if something in the story may be similar to it but I intend for it not to. Just wanted to get that out. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

The man in the dark gray suit nodded headed towards the man sitting behind the desk with stacks of papers among other things . That was his boss who sat casually looking through a file that seemed would never close.

"Sir" he said nervously. He dreaded being the one to bring him the news but someone had too and everyone else was either too busy or too cowardly to do so.

"What Mann?" the man lazily responded without even looking up. Mann sighed, this was definitely not any agent he was directing himself to, this was the one who had taken over Landy's job. He was now his boss and it was his as well as all of their staff's mission to keep him happy.

"Sir, I'm here to report that the mission failed. Bourne escaped...along with Parsons." he finished in a shaking voice although he tried to contain it. The man behind the desk looked up for the first time then leaned back gracefully in his seat. Mann hated when he did that because that either meant he was furious beyond it and would now have them working around the clock or he was still furious but instead of shouting order's at everyone, he would merely talk in that cold, soft voice that would bring chills to even the deadliest assassin.

"Is that so Mann?" he asked in mock surprised. "Yes sir." Mann responded, hurriedly. "Where's our man, Isles?" his boss, Taylor, asked. "He-he's in very bad state sir. According to the witnesses a-"

"What?!" Taylor shouted rising from his seat, and slamming both hands down in his desk. "What do you mean witnesses Mann?!" he asked, obviously angered.

"Well sir, Bourne was leaving Parsons apartment and Isles took after them but failed. Both Bourne and him opened fire at each-"

"What the hell did I tell you all when this mission began?! I said I didn't want any of this to get out of hand! I didn't want the police of New York to find out nor anyone else. The damn police always messes everything up, about the only thing they're useful for!" he said, his voice now minimized to an angered slightly raised tone. He was pacing back and forth around his office, hands on his waist except when he raised them wildly to make a point.

He stopped and sighed deeply before he turned around to face Mann. "Do you know where Bourne went to?" he asked already knowing the answer. "No sir. He escaped with Parsons but as witnesses said, they both seemed to be hurt." he finished nervously.

"Fine, here's what were going to do. Do not and I mean **do not** notify the police about Bourne. If they know and are out looking for him and Bourne finds out, he will very well avoid to go out and stay in hiding, sneaking around. It'll make it that much harder for us to catch him. We have Parsons in on the job, she'll bring Bourne back to us." he finished coolly as if trying to convince Mann but mainly trying to convince himself.

"Sir, what if Parsons doesn't bring him back?" Mann asked. He couldn't believe Parsons would betray them knowing full well who she was dealing with but something could go wrong. Bourne could suspect something and have her kill off before she even had a chance to notify them.

"We'll give her a month's time but still keep agents on the lookout. They need to be surveying the streets and be on their trail. If by a month's time Parsons hasn't yet contact us then we'll go after Bourne with everything we've got." he said nonchalantly.

Mann stood there a moment before nodding and heading to the door. A thought came to him and so he halted and turned to face his boss. "Sir what about Parsons? What will we do to her if things don't turn out the way we expected?" he asked curiously.

Taylor had already buried himself in his files and work but paused and thought about Mann's question. After a minute or so he looked up to meet his gaze and in a very casual tone said, "we'll dispose of her."

* * *

They spent the next day in the motel as planned and arrived early the next morning at Cronin's house. He was still skeptical about the whole plan but he decided to go through with it. If Nicky had been right, which he seriously wished, then they would be in the eye of the hurricane for the next few days. They had taken serious measures and caution to not be discovered. The day before, Nicky had dyed her hair a dark brown almost black and he had to admit that it looked nice in her.

They were standing in front of Cronin's front door waiting for him to open it. They had thought about going in through the back door and as early as five in the morn but decided against it thinking it would draw suspicion. He was looking around to make sure no one had caught in their trail while trying to not be suspicious about it. He looked over at Nicky and she met his gaze. She smiled nervously, no doubt wondering herself whether this would work even if she sounded so convincing.

He heard footsteps on the other side and he reached for his gun. Nicky stiffened, her smile fading but she didn't object. If someone was with Cronin inside then he had to improvise and she knew that. He heard the door creek before it opened and he waited for it to fully open. He heard a gasp and Nicky nervously greet the man on the other side.

"Cronin!" she nervously said, trying to sound casual. Cronin was startled and looked to from one to the other in shock as if they were two celebrities standing at his doorstep. "Parsons and..." he returned his gaze to Jason before he continued nodding at him, "Bourne."

"Cronin can we talk?" Nicky interrupted. Cronin was still looking to them in disbelief and seemed to have momentarily lost the ability to speak. "Cronin!" Nicky called out to him trying to snap him out of his thoughts without raising her voice too much. "Uh-yes, yes come in." he said, stepping aside and gesturing for them to step inside. They did as told and he closed the door gently behind him, looking around before doing so. "Were you followed?" he asked, looking to Nicky. "No, I don't think we were, I mean we would have noticed right?" she asked nervously, looking up to meet Jason's gaze.

"Yeah, we would have noticed." Jason answered certifying Nicky's thoughts without taking his gaze from Cronin. He still had his hand behind his back on his gun in case he tried anything. They were still standing before the door and Jason looked around, checking to make sure they were truly alone. His house was very neat and organized much like Nicky's had been, despite that he was a man. It was mainly adorned in white or cream, peach colors. He noticed some stairs before he was interrupted.

"There's no one here beside us. You can check if you want to." Cronin said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Come on." he said, gesturing for them to follow. They did as he said as he lead them to a tour of the house.

A few minutes later, they were sitting on stools in the kitchen's counter. He was pouring some coffee for them after Jason was satisfied at not finding anyone. "So, to what do I owe your visit?" Cronin asked as he handed them their mugs. Nicky thanked him and blew on the steaming liquid softly before taking a sip. She put the mug down and looked to Jason before she answered Cronin. "Well, we were wondering if you had any new information." she said.

Cronin leaned against the counter and shook his head slightly. "Not much, at least not from what you last heard." he said. "Taylor's still in Landy's position and she's back home." he finished sighing softly before he took a sip as well. "What's with this Taylor man?" Jason asked curious.

Cronin set the mug back down before he continued. "Well, he took over Landy's position and being nothing new, wants you dead. You see as I'm sure...Nicky here has already informed you, we think he framed Landy so he could take over. It had something to do with Abbot. According to Taylor, Landy was working with Abbot in the theft of money, which is pretty damn absurd. I mean Landy was the one who captured Gretkov thanks to you." he said, nodding towards Jason. "He presented evidence of Landy working close and secretly with Abbot and that hunting you down was merely a distraction for all of us, especially Marshall, the CIA director, so that we would never suspect a thing. He even tried to pin Abbot's suicide on her, saying she was actually the one who murdered him." he finished shaking his head in disbelief and sipping at his coffee.

"So he framed Landy like Abbot framed me in the assassination in Berlin." Jason stated softly, more to himself than to the two other occupants in the room. "Yes well, that's how it is. That is why we want you Bourne to work with us. No one else is aware beside us two," he nodded towards Nicky, "and Landy as well as Kim." he finished.

"Who's Kim?" Jason asked confused. "Ah, she's Landy's number two agent, she also wants her back." he said almost proudly. "You see, you help us uncover this and once Landy returns to her post, we'll give you your freedom back." he said nonchalantly.

"I already agreed Cronin." Jason said looking from Cronin to Nicky. "Great! So then I'll just-oh damn!" he groaned as he looked down at his watch. "I'm late! Damn it! Uh-well look I've got no time to spare so-"

"Cronin!" Nicky interrupted, as Cronin snapped his head back to her direction and stopping his rushing to get his keys from the counter top beside the back door. "What's wrong?" Cronin asked looking from one to the other. Nicky smiled nervously before continuing, "we need a place to stay."

Cronin mouthed 'oh' and nodded his head as in agreement. "I suppose you want to stay here?" he asked questioningly. "Well..." Nicky continued, "it would be great besides they would never expect it." she finished hurriedly. Cronin seemed to think about it a moment before he continued, "yes I suppose you're right. Well then make yourselves comfortable and we'll talk more calmly when I return. If you want to shower or freshen up well just take the guest room."

Jason seemed a bit uncomfortable and Cronin noticed. "Look, I know it's hard but you can trust me. I'm in deep as well as you. If they find out, I'll be killed off before I realize what's happening." he said, softly. Jason noticed he spoke truthfully and decided to trust him. The could always go with plan B which was to do it the way he had always done, run and kill. "I'll be back in the evening. You can peek through the hole in the in the door to make sure it's me. I'll knock twice just in case. If anything goes wrong, I'll phone you and let you know, all right?" Cronin asked, looking from Jason to Nicky.

Nicky nodded as did Bourne. "Well then, I leave you two. I'm already late as it is." he started heading to the door after grabbing his keys before he paused. "Hey just one quick question." he asked curiously. "Did you like the coffee? I've had people tell me it's gross." he said grimacing at the thought.

Nicky laughed quietly and Jason merely smirked. "Yes Cronin, it was good, now go." she said, gesturing towards the door. "Right, well later then." he said, waving at them as he headed out, giving them one last reassuring glance before closing the door behind him.

* * *

I hope you're not too disappointed with this chapter but like I said, I hope to make it up with the next chapters. Please keep R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for not updating for a long time. Like I had said before, I was going to be very busy now. I know this isn't what many of you hoped but I thought a chapter for the plot was necessary. Next chapter, I hope will satisfy at least some of you. Please keep R&R!

* * *

Cronin had arrived later that afternoon as accorded. There was no CIA following and Jason was partly reassured that he was indeed an honest man. He had however, brought some news on their behalf. It was quite some valuable information that would help in their task but it was also not as reassuring. They only had a month's time before the CIA attacked fully with no barriers holding them back. Not only was that troubling him but what Cronin had informed them was the only other alternative if things went wrong. They would have Nicky killed if she hadn't made contact with them but Jason doubted it would end there. Of course, dealing with the CIA, everything was prone to lead to drastic measures and without the most minimal mercy, would get rid of any clues that would incriminate or jeopardize their position.

Nicky was looking paler than usual once she heard the news but then again he doubted anyone would be fully calm or relaxing when their lives hung by a thread. He wanted to calm her, to reassure her but he couldn't, he wouldn't. One mistake was all they needed to make for their whole plan to backfire. They would have to be more careful and far more clever than the pack of corrupt agents he once worked for. This Taylor seemed much too arrogant for his liking. He had no doubt that he was actually the one corrupting the system although it was pretty much screwed already.

"I think you should stick to the original plan, which was to stay here. They're searching for you both far from here. They don't suspect a thing." Cronin said, leaning back in his chair. They were sitting at the table after having ate dinner. It had been the first time they eaten that day but that had not troubled Jason much.

Jason felt someone's gaze on him and turned to face Nicky and sure enough it was her, looking directly at him, as if it was his call. They both were now staring at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Yes, we'll go through with what we planned. We got to think this out though, we cannot afford to make a mistake, understand?" he said firmly, looking from Nicky to Cronin.

"I agree, but that means that we will have to learn to trust in each other..." Cronin said softly, letting the sentence hung in the air as if for better understanding.

Jason knew what he had meant to say. It wasn't Nicky who had to trust them nor they trust Nicky, but he, Jason and Cronin. Although they were in this together, they had not yet mastered the art of trusting each other. He looked coolly at Cronin who tried to do the same until he turned away. Nicky must have noticed the tension between them both because she cut in to try to lighten things up or at least bring the topic back.

"Fine, what are we going to do then? I mean, we can't very well march into the CIA and interrogate them. How are we going to do this? We need to formulate a good plan with no faults or at least a contingency plan." Nicky said, her voice somewhat edgy.

"Yes, I've been thinking about that." Jason added, taking his gaze away from Cronin and back to Nicky.

"We got to study this man, Taylor. Do any of you have some background information or know where or how we can get it? We need to know who we're dealing with." Jason said, returning to his normal self.

"Well, we don't have much. He came into the CIA with pretty much a clean record and I doubt we can get our hands on anything else. I mean surely he has a file like everyone does but it won't say much, they don't tend to say a lot in them. All the information is basically classified. We can however, as you said, study the target." Nicky said, nodding towards Jason.

"Cronin, you could do that since you're the one in the CIA. I'm practically no longer a part of the staff." Nicky added after a moment's thought.

"Well, I could try but I don't guarantee. It won't be easy." he said sounding skeptical.

Nicky sighed deeply and went deep in thought. Jason merely tried to think of a way he could make all this work.

"You know, there's something about that guy. I overheard him talking to that idiot of Mann, and he said something funny. I didn't get to hear the whole conversation nor did I know what they had been talking about. I did hear though when Taylor told Mann that he wasn't planning on staying in that position for too long. Whatever that could mean I have no idea but it just got my attention. I mean if he wasn't going to stay here any longer, why go through all the trouble of framing Landy to get her post? Wouldn't it have been better to suffer as merely one of her agents for whatever short time it was he would stay?" Cronin asked, clearly confused.

Jason was intrigued by this new revelation. Clearly there was something missing. They needed to find that piece of the puzzle for it to complete and make sense.

"That does seem strange." Nicky added softly after a minute. "Was there anything else he said?" Nicky asked once more.

"Ah no-"

"Who is this Mann?" Jason asked, interrupting Cronin.

"Man? Oh..._Mann_. He used to work for Conklin, I'm sure you haven't forgotten him?" he said questioningly. "And he used to work for Abbot shortly before he committed suicide. Now he works for Taylor." he finished sharply. Obviously Cronin wasn't much fond of Mann.

"So basically he's been working for corrupted and criminal agents?" Jason asked softly, more to himself than to the others.

"Yeah, one could say that." Cronin said, reaching back to stretch.

"Wait...oh God. You don't think-" Nicky looked horrified, as though she had seen a ghost. She turned to Jason and he merely returned his gaze.

"Am I missing something here?" Cronin asked completely clueless.

"Of course, it's sort of a pattern. First Conklin, then Abbot, and now Taylor. That little sneaky...that could only mean one thing. Taylor is indeed what we think he is." Nicky said softly.

"Now let's not anticipate to something-"

"But don't you see! It's obvious! He has only worked for people who are corrupted like you said. It has to be. That concludes our suspicions, Taylor is a vile person. He must have something up his sleeve." Nicky said defiantly.

"Wait, you mean Mann is in on this?" Cronin asked just now realizing the facts.

"How are we going to prove it? How do we do to find out what Taylor's intentions are?" Nicky asked ignoring Cronin.

"We have to be clever. We can't go through with some partly thought up plan because we're not sure how dangerous this guy could be. Now Cronin, you think you can investigate more on him?" Jason asked, turning to face Cronin for the first time since the we-got-to-trust-each-other moment. He looked quite surprised at this new revelations and barely nodded acknowledging Jason's request.

"Well then, in the meantime, we stay here, hidden, until we learn more on him and hopefully come up with a good plan." Jason said, nodding to them both.

"That sounds good. Now it's getting late and we should really get to bed." Cronin said, yawning as he stretched.

"Look I hope this won't be an inconvenience but...although it's a rather big house as you already know, I have only one guest room. The other two other extra rooms being a library and my office..." he smiled sheepishly at both Jason and Nicky.

"Well, you could both stay in the guest room. We could try to work this out-"

Jason could see Nicky from the corner of his eyes. She nodded almost in a dreamlike state. He had no problem with sharing a room with her seeing as how he had already done so and judging by what little he knew of Nicky, he knew she wouldn't complain since it wasn't her house.

"-It's fine, thank you." Jason said softly.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Like I said before, could be a while before I update again. This chapter like I said in the previous chapter, I hope will be enough to satisfy you for a bit. It's not much but at least is something don't you think?

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It had been two weeks since they had arrived at Cronin's place and still no more new developments. Their investigation was anything but successful. Everyone was getting frustrated more each day because no matter how hard they tried, they could not come up with a good idea to do some research without getting caught. The CIA was still on the lookout for them and thankfully, they did not have so much as a clue to their whereabouts and that was why they had to be so much more careful. They had made it that far into hiding in one place and they had to continue doing so at least until the end of the month. There was only a week left until the CIA came for them with everything they had. 

Not only was that the reason to Jason's stress but the fact that the dream kept on playing over and over again each night. It wasn't much help either that Nicky had witnessed his altered state after waking up from them more than once. She would try to reassure him that they were just dreams and nothing more but he knew that they were so much more than that. It was somewhat awkward that Nicky was trying so hard to comfort him even after all they had gone through. They had after all met but a few years ago, at least up unto his memory could recall. He knew they had met long before Treadstone but since his memory loss, he had to start all over again.

He did however, had to admit that he felt more at ease with Nicky's presence. It was somewhat the same feeling that he felt around Marie. Having to go into hiding for two years was kind of the same thing he had to do now. He could also tell she was more comfortable with him around. She wouldn't say it but he knew.

"Jason."

The sound of his name cut through his thoughts. He turned around to face Nicky who was a little flushed and was smiling at him. She was in the kitchen, they both were. It had been somewhat they had gotten used to. Nicky would make breakfast, lunch and dinner and he would do the cleaning in the house since he was more expertized in the area. It had been something they came up with to repay Cronin for taking the risk in hiding them in his house. It had all been Nicky's idea and he had to admit, he thought it was a good way to repay him for it since he had no other idea how to.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Uh-can you hand me that pitcher right there?" she said, pointing to one placed in the cabinets above her.

He walked over and reached for it and but as he did so, he gave her no time to move away which led her to be cornered between the counter top and him. He could feel her warmth which in turn sent goosebumps all over him. Her chest was heaving softly and evenly and her scent...that scent of hers that made him lose himself. That was exactly what he was doing at the moment but he would not show her that. He casually brought the pitcher down and handed it to her. She blushed and gave him a soft thanks and a smile. He smiled at that as well. He had to admit, a blushing, tough or frightened Nicky, she always looked...cute.

"Err-I've got to..." she cleared her throat. It was then he realized he'd been staring at her for more than enough while their bodies where situated in such proximity.

"Yeah, do you need any help?" he asked uncertainly. He was quite embarrassed himself that he'd been so careless. He'd been admiring her and she had noticed.

"No-well, I'm making iced tea. It's fine." she said light-heartedly.

"Okay, I'll just go and make sure everything is in order." he said hurriedly.

Make sure everything is in order? What? He mentally kicked himself. What was wrong with him? It was Nicky he had been talking to. You've eaten, ran from snipers and assassins, gone into hiding and shared a room with her. Why are you suddenly so edgy around her?

This whole time they had spent together, he had found it he rather liked it. Having someone else's company was sort of a relief, especially if it was Nicky. Although he didn't like the idea of her being in danger, he tried not to think about that. He liked having her around, despite what he tried to make himself believe in the beginning. It was comforting to know someone else was there to help him, or just be there like she had.

Something strange was happening. He was beginning to harbor feelings for Nicky that he hadn't done so since Marie. He knew what those feelings were and meant but he knew they were wrong. He couldn't distract himself with that. He wouldn't-shouldn't be thinking of her that way. She was only his partner in crime in a way and only that. Besides, what was the possibility of her feeling the same way? _You're just kidding yourself Jason. Just forget about it._

He walked away to check the house since it was the only logical thing he thought he could do, unaware that Nicky watched his retreating back from the kitchen entrance.

She went back to finish what she had started and it was a good thing she was doing something so simple, otherwise if she had been cooking, she would have probably burned the whole place down. She was thinking about what had happened. It had been nothing personal, nothing intimate but to her, it had felt that way. They had shared a moment where she could feel his warmth and his chest against hers. Her heart had increased it's beating and she could feel it beating furiously inside her. Her face had grown hot and she knew that he could notice the beating and her blushing. She had tried not to let it show but she was not as skilled in being able to hold her fear, embarrassment or joy within.

It had made no difference. He had not noticed and if he had, he had not cared. It wasn't much like him to show emotion although she was quite sure he was beginning to do so. For the past weeks since they had been together, he had shown more emotion than she had ever thought possible. He had cared for her when she had wounded her ankle, just looking out for her. She had never doubted there was more to him than what everyone thought and those past weeks had proven her right just as it had proven her weak.

Having him around all the time was too much. He was a very good-looking man and gentle beneath coldness he'd put on in order to deceive everyone around him. If the CIA knew he had a weakness, they would use it against him. If they knew he felt like any normal human did, they would make sure to turn that against him. To them, Jason was just a cold-blooded murder machine that needed to disintegrate. He would never be more than that. He would never be seen the way she saw him then. A man of character, of feeling, a man she was beginning to fall for although she knew it was not correct.

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Well hope it was at least ok, and I'll try to update sooner but I'm not quite sure how soon.

Anyway, I am working on the next chapters right now though. Please continue to R&R!


	12. Chapter 12

Cronin made his way through the rushing agents, his colleagues, many of which he wasn't fond of. They hustling to their tasks, some nodding his way or giving him a mere 'hello' in recognition of his presence. Many of them were with whom he used to have lunch with or had gone out for drinks at nights. It was strange that he had now second thoughts about their values. Some had stayed true to Landy, knowing that what had occurred to her was not right. Others merely turned their backs on her, not believing her word.

After years of working in the CIA, he had seen more than what many would ever have or hoped to. Quite frankly, it wasn't until they fired Landy that he really was filled with disgust. Right under his nose, there were many operations being operated by the CIA members but not beneficiary to everyone. The majority of operations run were due to agents pulling scamming the board director's themselves. It was a shame that he didn't recognize it before.

While working with Landy, he had realized what Treadstone had caused but even then, he continued to work in the same base of operation but not for them. He didn't follow anyone's orders except Landy's. Although there were many of them who made money by pulling scams and building their lives in lies, Landy was not one of them. She was different. She believed in doing what was right. There was only a limited few now who did not. Landy used her knowledge in doing good and working to make things better. It was somewhat ironic that having principles and values was what had made her a target for Taylor. He was relieved however, that he had merely let her walk away without hurting her.

He was making his way to his desk, and even though he was early that morning it was clear he was not the only one. He glanced around hoping to see Taylor although the reason behind that was not at all clear. Perhaps he was expecting to find something new today. Everyone walked around with their features a scowl or impassiveness, much like Jason. The last thought made him chuckle which sent a few odd or annoyed glances his way. _At least it got a reaction from them._

"Yeah but we need to act soon."

He heard a voice a couple of feet away that sounded like a loud whisper followed by a soft murmur. He couldn't distinguish the first voice and although he could barely hear the second one, he knew with great certainty that it belonged to none other than Taylor, the devil himself. He hated the man beyond what anyone, even Nicky or Jason would ever figure. He had framed Landy, an innocent and fair woman. Her leaving had been a great blow to him. He had grown attached to her somehow although no one knew that. She was only his boss in everyone's eyes and he was only his right-hand man to them as well, including herself.

He heard Taylor's and the stranger's voice growing near and forced the melancholy thoughts of Landy aside. He needed to concentrate on what was important at the moment. If all went well, Landy would soon return to her rightful place and he would have a second chance.

"...Marshall...they'll never figure it out."

"I understand that, but who will-"

"Landy. It's perfect, don't you think?"

There a silence in the hallway as Taylor and the other came to a halt a few feet on the other side of him. Cronin was standing close to the adjoining the other, hoping to not be discovered otherwise, he would be in deep...

"Fine, but we need to..."

Cronin heard them advancing and he hurried to his office, hoping to get as far from the two men as possible and make them believe he was much too far away to have heard a thing. He felt a drop of sweat trail down the side of his face and he realized just how nervous the whole situation had made him.

"Cronin!"

Damn! They knew! He felt his heart race as he slowly turned to face them. Act casual, remain calm. There was no reason for things to get out of hand if he knew how to play along.

"Sir!" his voice came out strong but somewhat of a squeak.

It was indeed Taylor with another fellow who had been conversing. The man was young, perhaps Jason's age, with dark hair and hazel piercing eyes. His features resembled Jason's as well but it was perhaps only his impassiveness that did the trick. Taylor however merely shot him an intriguing look.

"Are you ok, Cronin?" he said, drawling his name at the end.

He cleared his throat and merely gave Taylor a convincing look.

"Yes sir, I think I may be catching a cold that's all." he said reassuringly, waving it off to make it convincing.

Taylor on the other hand merely gave him a look of disgust for a moment before he simply shook his head.

"Well, I expect you to get better, wouldn't want the everyone else sick as well."

Typical. The damn fool wouldn't care about anyone else's well being unless there wasn't something in it for him. As if his hate towards the man wasn't strong enough, he felt it grow a tinge more at the moment.

"Andrews, this is Cronin as you've probably figured. Cronin, this here is Andrews, my new assistant."

Cronin took Andrews' hand and shook it slightly, giving him a fake smile. Andrews however, merely smirked. No doubt now that he too was one of Taylor's kind.

"Andrews will be working with me in the-err-operations now."

Cronin nodded in understanding. Well, had brought in a new assistant. Did that mean that Mann had been replaced? _Had he been fired perhaps?_ He was only hoping and in doing so as well as wishing never did any wrong to anyone.

"Mann will continue to work for me however." he added afterwards, crushing any hope he had left.

"By the way, how are things with Bourne's whereabouts?" he continued after a pause.

At this, Cronin felt his pulse, who had already returned to it's normal pace, once again race. He suddenly felt hot and the suit he worn, very uncomfortable. Both subjects merely gazed at him expectantly.

"Still no luck sir." he finally said.

"Well then, continue on. We mustn't let Bourne outsmart us so come on now, let's get back to work." he said.

"Very well sir." Cronin said, nodding as he did so. He turned on his heel and left the two now partners to continue with their discussion. He hated having to call Taylor sir or having to talk to him for that matter. He hated the fact that everything he thought the CIA to be had turned out to be everything but that. Hated the fact that Landy was not at his side like she used to all because of the man he now had to call 'sir'. He hated even more the fact that he still continued to work for criminals in disguise.

As Cronin turned the hallway to go to his office, the two men who continued with their discussion.

"You think he suspects anything?" Andrews asked Taylor.

"I doubt it but just to be safe, we'll keep an eye out." Taylor replied.

"You don't suppose he was lying about Bourne's search?" Andrews said inquisitively.

"I don't know Andrews but I wouldn't be surprised if he did, after all, he has always been loyal to Landy, wouldn't doubt he was planning something." he said slightly above a whisper, chuckling at the thought.

"Well then, I'd say we keep a _closer _eye..." Andrews added.

"What are you implying?" Taylor asked now interested.

"I mean to say that we should guard his house, check who goes in and who goes out. Wouldn't hurt to do so and of course, we would be cautious." Andrews finished,

Taylor pondered on Andrews suggestion for a moment. It was a highly good idea and there would be no harm in doing so. He would put Andrews in charge of it. Who knew? Perhaps he would gather some pretty interesting information indeed.

"Do it. Now how about a cup of coffee?"

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A/N: This may have seemed an unnecessary chapter but I think it's good to see it through Cronin's eyes, after all, he is one of the main characters. Please R&R!


	13. Chapter 13

The next day had come not as a relief but as a partial sense of reassurance to Jason that their patience had not been in vain. Although the timing was perhaps not best at the moment since they had less than the week before the CIA went public with their search for them, he thought of it as step up. It was a minor one, he had to admit but it was something nevertheless.

There was a new guy working for Taylor. Andrews, a man around Jason's age according to Cronin. He was working close by with Mann apart from the rest of the team. Although Cronin had reason to believe it had nothing to do with their search for both Jason and Nicky, he had no way of proving it. They lacked the evidence needed to uncover their scheme and that was something Jason was utterly frustrated with.

He had not felt so utterly at a loss since he had been rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. He always had a plan, no matter how sudden and unexpected the situation may be. Now however, he felt useless. What could he do? How to do it? Where should he turn to?

He had been sitting on Cronin's comfortable, black couch for more than an hour now. It was now well past midnight and he while the other two occupants of the house slept, he remained awake, thinking, wishing it would soon end.

He sighed deeply and bent over, resting his head in both of his hands. The frustration was getting to him. He had found it a miracle that he had managed not to snap at either Nicky or Cronin when they were around. His headaches, which he had foolishly thought he had gotten rid of, returned. As if that was not all, the damn dream with Nicky was always replaying each and every night. He had heard of something similar and he couldn't help but wonder, was it some sort of premonition? He scoffed at the thought.

Just then, he felt someone's touch on his shoulder and almost jumped off the couch. Startled, he turned to face the culprit only to find the silhouette of a female body. The light from night light in the living room, was enough to reveal her nicely curved body in her black, lace trimmed cami and pant set she used to sleep.

She had been standing behind the couch and now moved to his side in a few swift steps. Jason scooted a few inches to allow enough room for Nicky to sit which she did. The night light was enough to illuminate Nicky's face perfectly.

He couldn't help but contemplate her beauty. It was in moments such as those that he found peace and comfort. She had that effect on him. Whether she knew it or not, she had the ability to affect his thoughts, feelings and actions.

"Bad dream again?" she said softly. The sudden sound of her voice had sent him swirling back to reality.

"Yeah." was all he managed to say, in a raspy , soft voice.

"Was it-"

"Same one..." Jason finished for her. He simply gazed at her and she nodded in understanding.

"So is that the only reason you're here or..." she finished inquisitively.

"Couldn't sleep. I was barely dozing off when the dream awoke me so I thought I come down here to think. I didn't want to wake you." he said softly.

"Well, you know you can..." she seemed to trail off as she thought carefully on her next words.

"...You can talk to me when you feel the need to." she finished slightly above a whisper.

She smiled shyly before she diverted her gaze from him. Although there was not much light in the room, he could tell she was blushing. He knew her enough by then to know when she was happy, embarrassed, sad or angered, which was not often.

"Thank you." he said softly and offered her a reassuring smile as she once again turned to face him.

She merely nodded in return.

He thought back on the day they met up back on the street and they had ran away from the sniper. She had willingly come to his aid. Although the reason was only to help Landy get her job back, she had still follow him. She had saved him from the man that chased them out from her apartment building. She was company to him and her mere presence was enough to lighten his troubles if not make him forget about them.

"Thank you for everything." Jason added softly after a moment.

Nicky seemingly surprised gave him a confused look.

"There's really not much I've-"

"You've risked your life by trusting me..." he said in a gentle, defiant tone.

He wasn't very good with words and at the moment, none came to him that would be enough to express just how grateful he was. Perhaps she would never understand that for someone like him, being trusted like she did him meant so much more. He was not prone to receive the same care, love, and emotions that everyone else did. The only person who had shown affection to him even after learning that he was an assassin was now dead. Aside from Marie, Nicky was the only other person who treated him as a human.

"Jason, there's really nothing to thank me for. I understand this isn't easy for you and after spending this time with you, I realize just how difficult it is to live your life the way you do now." she said in a gentle, and understanding tone.

He smiled at her and she did the same. She placed a hand on his shoulder once more as before and suddenly, surprising them both, she leaned in and embraced Jason. She wasn't able to stop herself. Her feelings had taken over her.

He looked so vulnerable and the only thing that had occurred to her was to hug him. She hadn't thought as she merely pulled him in. The man before her resembled nothing to the Jason Bourne that had joined the CIA years ago, nor the assassin everyone hunted down greedily. This was a man only her and his ex girlfriend Marie, had been privileged to see, and perhaps others as well.

Perhaps the fact that he so desperately cried for affection was the reason why she had felt the need to embrace him, to show him someone did care. She wanted him to know he was not alone, that she would be there for him. There was so much that she was dying to let him know that she tried to put it all into that one simple embrace.

Jason had tensed up at Nicky's sudden act before he let himself return her embrace. He felt a warmth spread throughout his body and whether it was for the contact from her bare skin the cami did not cover or the cool fabric of it, or perhaps the affection for him in that embrace, he did not care, he merely enjoyed it. They were sharing an intimate moment. This was the farthest they had ever gone and now, at the moment, he was completely content with that.

He didn't need more. There was nothing that could compare to that moment then. Perhaps after the moment was over, or the next day, it would be awkward between them but for now, it was the only best thing that had happened to him.

Nothing was certain. What if he didn't live long enough to see a tomorrow? If all went well, after they finished this task of theirs, Nicky would return to her old life or start anew but he would not be a part of it. They would all go their own ways and perhaps this would be the only time they would ever have this much closure and he was not going to let this opportunity slip away.

It had been only a moment and although it had ended sooner than what both would expect, the moment had not been in vain. They parted silently, Nicky blushing from her daring move and Jason struggling to keep his features void of emotion, at least of any that would give him away. The moment had been awkward enough as he had thought it would be but he didn't mind.

Just yesterday he had been wondering if she cared about him at all, and now, it was as though she had read his thoughts. He couldn't help but think, _if only things were different. _Things weren't different however, as much as he would hope they'd be and he had to find a way to understand and deal with it.

Nicky was surprised she dared to do what she had been longing to do for some time now. It was indeed not like her to do something such as that but at the moment, it seemed it was the best thing she _could_ do. The moment seemed right, and it felt necessary to do so in order to let Jason know he was not alone. She knew he felt that way and that he thought no one cared, but that was where he was wrong. Someone did care and wanted to be with him and that someone was _her_.

Although she had taken a courageous step from her part, she knew she could not take the bigger step that required for her to let him know how she felt. Perhaps he would not believe her and think it was mere infatuation or perhaps it would be too soon. His girlfriend had died not too long and it was only logical he was still mourning the loss.

"It's getting late."

That was not what she had wanted to say but the words were out of her mouth before she could take them back. He had been gazing at her but the look on his face showed he had been in deep thought before he realized what she had said. He gave her an odd look for a moment before his features returned to their normal impassiveness. She didn't know what to make out of that then. Had he felt something at all?

"Yeah, better go off to sleep then." he said in a dry tone.

He rose and extended an arm out to her as she took it and stood as well. She thanked him and began to make her way back to the stairs as the room went darker than it had been. Obviously, he had turned the night light off. She turned around and it took a moment or so for her eyesight to adjust to the dark. Once she had, she could see Jason standing before the window, looking her way.

He seemed to hesitate before he made his way to her and as she was about to turn around to go up the stairs, she could have sworn she saw a shadow move swiftly in the backyard. She looked again, blinking to make sure she wasn't seeing things but by then, everything seemed in place. Probably a branch. Shrugging it off, she made her way back to the room with Jason following close behind her.

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A/N: Now I know this may seem rushed but I needed some interaction between Jason & Nicky before I got into what would happen later. I didn't know how to put it in as to not make it seem unrealistic, (too fast) and found no other way than like this.

Anyway, I am trying to speed things up so bear with me. Please continue to R&R!


	14. Chapter 14

"_I-I'm sorry Jason...pl..se for-forgive me..." she said in a gravelly voice, barely audible. She was lying in his shaking arms drenched by her blood._

"_There is nothing to forgive you for. I'm the one that's sorry...please Nicky, just hang on, help will come soon, please don't leave me! Not you too..." _

"_Don't Nicky, shh...it'll be all right." Nicky ignored him and very softly he heard her say, "I...I-lv...run..." and with that her eyes closed forever as he was left on the pavement holding on to her lifeless body rocking back and forth as his tears flowed freely. _

"_No-"_

He awoke in a sudden, anxious and frantic state. It was the same dream and although he had not dreamt anything different this time, there was something odd. The fear of being in danger that he felt in the dream seemed so real. He stood and looked around. Nicky was still in bed, sleeping soundly and everything seemed to be in place. He found it odd however, that he had managed to sleep throughout the night. According to the clock in the nightstand, it was 6:04 in the morning, which meant he had slept through the whole night without awakening once until then.

Groggily, he stood up and made his way to the bathroom, thinking a shower would do him good. He felt renewed in a way, knowing that not once had he awaken in the middle of the night. He was sure it had to do with the events from that night. Just as he had thought, Nicky eased his pain, being his only comfort with her mere presence. He glimpsed once more towards Nicky before shutting the door behind him.

The noise of what sounded like a door closing managed to stir Nicky from her sleep. Jason. That was the first thing that came to her mind and still with sleep in her eyes she opened them and scanned the still dark room around her for a sign of him. Was he up again? Was it morning already?

She turned around towards the digital clock on the nightstand but couldn't see anything. She blinked a few times but the dark room did not help. There was something blocking out the big, red numbers. She reached out but as she did so, her sight soon adjusted to the darkness enveloping her and noticed a figure standing beside her and thus being the object blocking her view. At first glance and thought she believed him to be Jason when she heard the water running from the bathroom and as realization struck her, she opened her mouth to scream out to Jason when she felt a strong hand muffling her cries.

She felt another set of arms pushing her down against the bed. She couldn't move, she squirmed underneath their strong bodies but was all she could manage to do. She then felt a sharp pain in her right arm and as she turned to see what it had been, she noticed a needle, penetrating her skin. Her energy was being drained within seconds but staying true to herself, she would not go down without a fight. She managed to bit the man's arm and as he pulled it away momentarily, she managed to scream out or more like squeal somewhat loud for Jason. The man automatically brought his hand upon her mouth again but not before he slapped her hard and along with the drug managed to send her to sleep once more.

The door to the bathroom was opened suddenly as it slammed against the wall as both attackers were startled. Jason had heard Nicky and since he knew something such as that could one day occur, he kept a gun hidden in the bathroom as well as other certain areas only the real occupants of the house would know.

He noticed Nicky lying in the bed motionless and he felt a sharp pain through his heart, similar to that of when he saw Marie die. He felt the sudden urge to beat them, make them feel pain like no other but although he knew he could take both, there was no way to know whether they carried a weapon on them. Instead, he kept his gun pointed at the two men in the room who were both surrounding Nicky and furiously, he ordered them to move to the side, threating to kill them.

"We didn't do anything to her. She's just sleeping. We just want some money, we didn't plan on hurting anyone." one said frantically.

"No, not at all. We just wanted to make sure she was asleep so we could come and go without the need of anyone getting hurt. We promise!" th e other said.

Jason could tell they were both his age and wasn't sure whether to believe them or not. Perhaps they were telling the truth.

"Who do you work for?!" Jason demanded them.

"No one but ourselves. We promise!" the first one again answered.

"Tell the truth! What does Taylor want? Answer me and I'll let you both live!" Jason continued.

They were both looking anxious, exchanging confused glances at each other.

"We know nothing about no Taylor. I say the truth!"

They both looked like beggars and although their story sounded convincing, he needed to make sure.

"Undress." Jason said firmly.

"Wh-what?"

"Undress I said, now do it!" Jason shouted out exasperated.

They both did as they were ordered, swiftly. Once they ended up only in their underwear, he realized they had no wire on them. However, he needed to make sure.

"Are there more?" Jason asked, his temper subsiding.

"No, not here." the less frightened one answered.

"Get up, you're both coming with me." Jason said firmly and roughly.

He went to check around the house and had found Cronin on his bed with obvious signs that he too had been drugged. As they had said, no one else besides themselves were in the house. What still didn't quite make sense was how two homeless men, because that's what they seemed to be, could manage to acquire a drug powerful enough to sedate people? He had always thought that about the only thing they could afford would be alcohol.

"Where did you get the drug off?" Jason asked finally as they returned to the room he shared with Nicky. She was still sleeping, unaware of the events that followed her being attacked. Just thinking about it made his blood boil and felt the need to shoot both men dead. They shouldn't have messed with her.

"Streets, you can get just about anything there." one of the said hurriedly.

Jason didn't know whether the men spoke the truth or not but he couldn't do much. The idea of them breaking in seemed logical since the house was actually pretty big and nice looking to attract the eye of anyone. Those two had probably thought the house possessed some valuables in it and therefore did what they had done. Finally, after thinking it well after a few minutes, he let them go, having no evidence that could support any suspicion of them having ties with the CIA. There seemed to be a lot of lacking of evidence lately which he was quite frustrated with.

Watching the backs of the retreating pair running out into the streets, glancing back in terror that Jason may change his mind and shoot them while they made an escape. He sighed deeply before he shut the door, locking it and taking one more look around the house to make sure everything was set in place. He then returned back to Nicky's side all the while oblivious that someone had witnessed the moment he had let out the two strangers out the front door.

Two houses to the right across the street of Cronin's a man stood in his window, unaware by the man he had his eyes set on. He recognized the same short dark hair, cold or emotionless face, and overall he knew he was the one. He had finally found him and to think they had had him right below their noses. Hidden, amongst one of his own, laughing behind his back. That was all about to change now though. He would make sure everything went according to plan. After all, he had just found the man he needed for the job. An expert in the area of assassinating, the best of his kind. He had found the man he had so unsuccessfully sought for, the one and only Jason Bourne.

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A/N: I know it's short but then again, I just needed to something, some form of mistake on their part (Jason walks out and is seen by the man two houses away). I know it doesn't seem reasonable but still... Please continue to R&R! 


	15. Chapter 15

Both Nicky and Cronin were awake within the next half hour. Apparently the drug wasn't as strong to keep down for more than a few minutes. He was glad everything had turned out okay because otherwise, he could never live with himself if he had let the culprits of Nicky's illness or death, escape.

"Did they take anything?" Cronin asked once they were downstairs drinking coffee.

"No." Jason responded.

"I just don't understand how they got in." Nicky said, joining the conversation.

"Well, they said the back door was open." Jason replied.

"But that's impossible! I checked it myself last night before I went to bed." Cronin added automatically.

"They seemed pretty sincere and besides I checked the house before they left and there aren't any signs of them breaking in. Everything is in place." Jason said.

"That's just...no-I just-no I'm pretty damn sure I locked it." Cronin said, stating in a slightly raised voice.

"Maybe you thought you did or maybe it wasn't quite locked." Nicky added hopefully.

"No-no! I did lock it! I know what I do and how I do it. That door as well as the front one were locked!" Cronin added defiantly.

"Look whether it was or not, it's over now. Let's just learn from this mistake and from now on we have to be even more careful." Jason added.

If the conversation continued, it was probable that things would end up badly. Cronin was obviously altered and Nicky need to keep calm. He wasn't sure whether the drug's effects were over by now nor what could happen if she suffered a high emotional change.

He turned to Nicky who looked rather pale still and was fidgeting with the mug. Something was bothering her, he was sure of it.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"Uh...well-err-I have to tell you both something." she said nervously.

She looked up to meet both Jason's and Cronin's gaze and she felt her face grow red. She thought-no, was sure that the morning's events had something to do with the shadow she saw yesterday night. She had thought then that it was nothing but now she believed it to be connected to it all. What were the odds of seeing strange shadows where there were no trees around the house and then have people break in it-but wait! Realization struck Nicky as she realized that it was indeed true. Cronin's front and backyard consisted of no trees and both of his next-door neigh-boors yards were free of trees as well. Of course! How could she have forgotten? Well, it was night and she was actually tired. That had probably something if not all to do with it.

"Nicky are you all right?" Cronin asked concerned.

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at them, unsure of when exactly she had turned away. They were both staring at her oddly. Although it was probably nothing worth worrying about, she was feeling uncertain at telling them about it all. Would they be angered or upset? Knowing Jason, he would probably say or at least think she had risked them all by not saying anything. Even in the slightest feeling that something was strange, she needed to let them know. Perhaps Jason would have caught the guys at that moment if she had spoken. No use in worrying about that now, it had already happened and like he had said, they needed to learn from their mistakes.

"I have tell you something." she said finally, more to Jason than to Cronin.

Jason nodded and waited for her to speak, obviously worried about her. That was not like him, at least to others but she knew that a kind and concerned Jason was the one that was growing inside the cold, emotionless Jason. _No wait! Focus Nicky!_

"I saw something yesterday. I thought I saw a shadow run across the yard."

"What? You saw them?!" Cronin asked, incredulous.

"Yeah-no! I saw something run across the the yard but that was it. At first I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me since it was night and then I thought it had probably been a branch from some tree." She finished sheepishly.

Although he tried to hide it, Nicky knew Cronin was mad or at least somewhat upset. Jason however, he showed no feeling, his features and indescribable impassiveness.

"I checked at night before I went to sleep and I didn't see anything." Cronin said after a minute of thought.

"Yeah well...this was actually later at night...when you were already asleep. I came down here to think because I didn't want to wake Jason and well it's just like I said right now. I thought it was just me. I know I did wrong and I won't do it again, I promise." she said, discouraged at herself.

She had lied of course, well, somewhat. Jason knew of course but he remained silent. He was deep in thought. The room fell into an awkward silence as she desperately cried within for someone to speak. Had she said something yesterday, perhaps none of the events of that day would have occurred. If she knew Jason well, at least as much as she had gotten to know him for the past few weeks, he would have preferred for her to speak. _We need to be cautious._ She could almost hear him say that.

"We can't afford to make any mistake and as said before, I think this served us all as a remainder of what's in risk." he said in a firm, serious tone.

He looked her way and kept his gaze firmly on her. She knew it was her he was talking mainly to, even if he wouldn't say. The room once again was silenced. Jason diverted his gaze and seemed to have gone in deep thought as had Cronin.

"Well then, I'd say we leave it at that and besides, I've got to go, I'm already late as it is." Cronin finally said.

He gave a reassuring smile to Nicky before he gathered his coat and keys. Before he walked out, he turned towards them and wished them to be careful. Nicky smiled back at him, relieved that he wasn't angered with her anymore.

"Well then, better get started." she said after a few minutes.

"I think it would be best if you rest-"

"Jason, I'm fine. I need to do something. I can't just lay around in bed. That makes me feel...just not right, please..." she continued.

"Very well then." he finally said.

After he left her room, she got up to shower and change. Although everything had turned out right, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. There was something that didn't let her completely be relieved. This of course had not been the first time they'd been exposed to danger and it was obviously not the last. Things would get worse, she was sure of that, as she was sure both Jason and Cronin knew as well. There was a feeling however, she couldn't get rid of as she made her way downstairs. She had a feeling of dread, anxiety as if the worse was yet to come not later, not soon, not tomorrow but then.

* * *

A/N: Once again, pointless I know but I'm trying to get unto the next part of the story and so this 'odd feeling' of Nicky's may be something more. Anyway please continue to R&R!


	16. Chapter 16

Although Nicky had to admit that she was still edgy due to the morning's events, it had been a pleasant day nonetheless. Everything seemed in order, nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, a part of her had rather found the near-death experience in someway to be useful. It had shown her how much she valued her life, no matter how wrong or hectic it'd be. Also, it had gone to prove her thoughts to be true. All this time she had believed Jason to be changing in a steady pace but doing so in the right way. He had been worried and been caring afterwards. Deep inside her, she always knew he would be able to one day break free from the indifferent Jason he would pretend to be.

Although he had done the cleaning already, Jason was still about doing it again. He was always doing something, presumably to stay busy and not having to sit around for nothing. She however, was sitting in the living room, waiting for Cronin to arrive. He was already two hours late and she wondered where he would be. He would never run late and as much as she tried to convince herself that he was fine and there had been some new development he had yet to investigate, she could still not shake away the feeling of anxiety and dread that she had felt that morning. Perhaps their cover was blown? At the thought, she felt her heart race.

No, if they had indeed been discovered, the area around the house would be swarming with cops, agents, and possibly snipers and perhaps FBI or S.W.A.T. How was she to know? She had never fully been one to run such operations, she merely gave those like Jason their tasks and kept track of their movements. The only time she had been a part of it was when Jason had requested to meet her at Alexanderplatz and then there were only undercover agents who were looking out for her.

"Nicky?"

She heard her name being called from what she knew was the kitchen. The dreaded feeling grew stronger as she thought it was about to be realized. She made her way into the kitchen to find Jason leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and looking serious as ever. Once he acknowledged her presence, he spoke in a soft, tedious voice.

"Any sign of Cronin?"

"Not yet." she answered in the same soft but worried tone.

Jason kept silent for a moment. She knew he was thinking the same things she had been, wondering if they were in some sort of danger at the moment because logistically speaking, they had been in danger since the moment they joined together and run away into hiding.

"Should we...wait-err-what?" she finished unsure of what she had even tried to say.

"We should wait." he replied.

"We'll wait a few hours longer just to make sure but at the very small sign of anything unusual, we leave." he added firmly.

She knew what he meant and there was no point in arguing with him because he was right. If they left now and Cronin arrived later with and nothing was wrong, they would be easy bait. They would no longer be counting with Cronin's help.

Just then she heard someone making their way up the front door. She stood still in her place as Jason told her to do. He swiftly made his way to the door as he reached to his backside and pulled out his gun. He stood before the door holding the gun in attack mode and waited for whoever it was to come in. Just as the knob turned, she began to feel queasy. The door opened and just as the man stepped inside she recognized him right away and shouted or better yet, squealed out 'Cronin'. Jason realized it too remained still, probably shocked to see Cronin. Cronin on the other hand was well more than shocked and surprised, he looked beyond frightened as his face had paled and even from the distance, Nicky could see he was shaking slightly.

"Cronin" Jason asked him inquisitively.

"Ye-yeah..as far as I know. Did I-err-the gun?" he replied nervously.

Jason leaving his shocked state, pulled the gun down and placed it back in place. Cronin relieved, let out a deep breath and merely stood in place. He had forgotten to close the door and Jason allowed himself to do it. Cronin merely stepped aside and for a few minutes no one said anything. Finally after Cronin had gathered his color once more, he spoke in a worried and dignified voice.

"Why the gun?"

"Why were you late?" Jason asked.

"Well, I had things to do."

"What kind of things?" Jason once more in a serious and determined tone.

"What, you're going to interrogate me now?"

"Guys! Why don't we calm down and discuss it peacefully. After the events of the morning, we should really be trusting one another." Nicky interrupted.

"Yeah Tell that to _him_!" Cronin responded somewhat annoyed by Jason's attack.

"Fine, where were you?" Jason asked once more.

"I already told you I had some things to do!" Cronin added a bit flustered.

Jason studied Cronin, keeping his piercing gaze on him and remaining quiet. Nicky remained quiet herself but merely looked between the two men now. Although Cronin was acting mysterious, she could somehow tell that it was not for what they had thought it'd be. There was something more to him than what she had thought.

Finally after a few minutes, Cronin couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke out. He felt himself blushing as he did so but cared not. They would eventually find out and if he remained silent, they would perhaps come to think he was betraying them.

"I went to go see Landy."

Nicky's soft gaze turned to surprise before she smiled. Obviously, Nicky was glad to hear it, those were some news to her. Jason's glare relaxed and finally looked at him in curiosity.

"How?" Jason asked at last.

"Well, I needed to check up on her, make sure she was doing all right." he said casually, taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack.

"Was she?" Nicky interrupted.

"Yeah, she's fine. I did gather some pretty useful information however, well at least I think it is." he said.

"What?" Jason asked, now interested.

"Well, according to Landy, that idiot of Taylor framed her for stealing money like Abbot and Clonkin. According to them, when she revealed that Abbot was behind it all and he was working close with Gretkov it was just a way to make pull any suspicions away from her and to focus on them. According to him, she was involved in the scam. I don't know how Taylor did it but he managed to convince everyone. According to her though, he bragged about having taken her post easily and to be taking a higher post than that soon." Cronin finished.

"Wait, you don't mean he's going to frame someone else now do you?" Nicky asked after a minute.

"Well, I trust Landy and if he said that, knowing him, I wouldn't doubt he wouldn't go for it. He already did it to her. Who's going to stop him?" Cronin replied.

"Then so far we know he framed Landy and is interested in a higher post. Now think, who would he be interested in taking their place?" Jason asked, joining the conversation.

"Well, Landy had taken Abbot's place so she was in a higher post than before. There's really not many authority figures higher than that other than..Marshall." Nicky said thoughtfully.

"Marshall?" Jason asked confused.

"The CIA director." Cronin filled in.

"Any reason to believe he's after Marshall?" Nicky asked.

"Was there any reason to believe he would be after Landy?" Cronin added.

Nicky thought about it and it made perfect sense. She too believed Landy and if what she said was true then it would no doubt be Marshall that Taylor was after. What she didn't understand was how he would manage to incriminate Marshall and put the whole committee against him.

"Do you know how when he plans to act?" Jason asked now.

"Well I'm not sure, either he's buying time to think it all out or he's waiting until he has you to show the committee that he's _trustworthy_ and was able to get you rather than Landy or the others themselves. I don't know." Cronin said, unsure.

"Well then, that means we have to act fast." Jason said.

Cronin scoffed but regretted doing it after he caught both Jason's and Nicky's glance.

"How do you plan on doing that? Break into the CIA and plant evidence of the scam?" Cronin said doubtful.

"No, I need him to-"

He heard a sound that resembled footsteps outside. He remained silent and gestured for the others to do so as well. He gestured for Nicky to hide and lay low, and Cronin to remain with her to keep safe while he went to check the source of the noise.

Pulling his gun once more from his backside, he kept it pointed to the front. Walking slowly and cautiously, he made his way into the kitchen, trying his best to remain calm. His fear wasn't to engage in a fight with whoever it was that was on the other side but the fact that Nicky would be put in danger. Glancing back once more, he noticed her shaking slightly and Cronin holding unto her reassuringly with one hand while the other was behind him. Although he didn't know much about him, he knew he too carried a gun with him at all times and knew how to use it. He was glad about this because although that wouldn't guarantee that Nicky would be kept safe, it did guarantee that at least they had a chance.

He turned his attention back to the door when suddenly, the noise stopped. He paused for a moment to make sure they hadn't left or just relocated. After a few minutes of silence confirming they had left, he turned to head back to Nicky and Cronin when suddenly he heard something slamming against the wall. He turned around, gun aiming and noticed it had been the door. There was no one however on the other side. He walked cautiously towards it and as he made his way outside, he noticed there was no one there. Someone had been there a few moments before though, how else would the door have been slammed open? It couldn't be the wind, that was for sure.

Heading out and checking the area, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Sensing it was safe, he returned back inside and locked the door behind him. He headed back to the living room but Cronin and Nicky were nowhere in sight. _They're probably hiding. _With that thought, he made his way back upstairs to look for them and reassure them everything was fine. He heard whispering in the room he shared with Nicky and as he neared the door, he saw them both, sitting on the bed, looking pale as they usually did in a situation such as that one. About to walk inside, he noticed a shadow on the floor that seemed to belong to someone standing by the window.

Just as he was about to pull his gun out once again, after he had placed it back in place, he heard a footstep coming from behind him. Turning around to aim to whoever it was, he only had time to see it was a dark-haired fellow with a grin. The man hit him on the back of the head with something, sending Jason down on the floor, dropping his gun. The pain shot through his head, immobilizing his body for a moment. As he tried desperately to reach his gun and shoot, the man kicked the gun aside. Glancing up to take one last look at the man, he saw him smirking before he felt the same sudden pain once more and his world went dark.

* * *

A/N: So how was it? Hopefully it was all right at least. I was thinking whether it was good or not to update it so soon. I just updated two chapters yesterday, and then two chapters in the morning again. Oh well, at least you all have more to read.

Anyway please continue to R&R! Also I've forgotten to thank you all who have reviewed so far.


	17. Chapter 17

He was sitting in a small room, hands in front of him, handcuffed. There room was very dimly lit and almost empty, except for a chair set before him and he wasn't alone. There was a police officer standing next to him, his gun at his side as if expecting Jason to try something. He heard someone's voice outside the door when it opened and inside stepped a man who looked about his age, nodding at someone outside before turning to Jason.

The man wore a gray suit and he was sneering at Jason as if he knew something that he, Jason, did not. Although he had no idea who this man was, he could tell he wasn't trustworthy. He was also confused at how he had wind up in that room in the first place. Whatever the purpose to him being there was, he would not talk. He would sit in silence, would not participate in their plans.

"Hello Jason, we meet again." the man said softly.

Jason kept staring at him, silently. The man scoffed at Jason's impassiveness and merely walked over to the only other chair in the room and sat down. He continued to study Jason before he spoke again in a manner that wasn't so appealing to Jason.

"It's me, Andrews although judging by your file..." the man smirked at Jason before he continued, "you probably don't remember me."

"You do remember Conklin however, am I right?"

Jason did not respond but Andrews merely continued talking as if he didn't care.

"Yes, he was a man of great ideas but very lousy at carrying them out. He was after all a very stupid man. He didn't have the potential to become someone greater than what he was. No, not he or Abbot."

He sighed deeply and shook his head before he chuckled. Obviously this man knew something about the scam both Abbot and Conklin along with Gretkov tried to pull.

"I however, am not a fool like they were. I'm sure you already figured it out Jason and that is why I'm here to negotiate with you. I am willing to make an offer that I am sure you will not want to pass up."

His tone had changed drastically. It had gone from a laughing sarcastic tone to a serious one.

"You probably don't remember how you got here and I didn't expect you to. That however, is not important. What is important is...how far are you willing to go to save your girlfriend?"

Jason was confused. Girlfriend? He didn't have a girlfriend. What was the man talking about? Wait...was he talking about Marie? That was impossible though, she was dead. He had been there. He had seen her get shot and her body floating lifeless under water. Why was this Andrews man talking about saving her?

"Yes, Jason...we have Nicky Parsons. As we speak, she is being interrogated in the room across the hall. Now, if you care about her and you want to spare her life, I suggest you listen carefully."

Andrews rose from his seat and began walking to the door. He stood and stared straight at it as if thinking what his next words would be.

"You get rid of Marshall, the CIA director, and we let her go safely. It's as simple as that." he said in a matter-of-fact tone and shrugged. He turned and began walking back to the chair.

Nicky? They had Nicky captive? Why did he know him? Why did he want Marshall dead? Why him? So many questions were swirling around in Jason's head as he began to remember how he had gotten there in the first place. He winced as pain shot through his head. That damn headache was returning!

"Of course, I'll need you to get rid of him in a way only you know how. I need you to make it look as if someone from the CIA itself did it. Someone who perhaps had a little grudge on him and wanted _revenge_..." he drawled the last word.

Jason began thinking of what that Andrews was telling him but he didn't understand why he wanted to frame someone from the CIA. Nothing was making sense. Why had they chose him to do it and not one of their own assassins? Who was he and why did he want Jason to kill Marshall? Why now? He knew now that he was the Andrews that worked for Taylor but what he didn't understand was how he knew him. From what he could gather, Andrews knew him since before all of this.

He didn't want to do this but they had Nicky. He couldn't risk it. If he didn't do what he said, they would kill her and that was not going to happen. He had told himself, promised that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. He would risk his own life and save hers if it was the last thing he did. She was the only one who had been there for him for the past few weeks and the only who understood him now. She was the only one who saw him for what he really was.

Andrews had said Nicky was on the room across from the one they were in now. He turned his gaze on the wall on his left where the door was as he pondered on his options. As on cue, Andrews followed Jason's gaze and merely chuckled.

"She will be fine Jason, if you do what your being asked to. There is no need for us to hurt Ms. Parsons if you comply with our request. She is here as a means of...reassurance that you get this task done." he said coldly.

"We will give you the necessary equipment to ensure you do this task right, you come back and take Ms. Parsons with you and that is that. You will never hear from us again" he said it all in one breath.

If he was going to accept, he wanted to make sure she was really still alive. He needed to know before he made a decision.

"Now, what do you say-"

"-I want to see her." Jason interrupted. His voice coming out in a soft yet rough tone.

He turned his gaze back to Andrews who opened his mouth and shut it again as if he thought it better to keep it to himself.

"Very well."

He walked back to the door, opened it and stepped out. He closed it after he left. Perhaps to make sure Jason didn't leave. Although if the place was guarded by agents or the statues at his side, he found it difficult to escape. From the glimpse he had caught before he shut the door however, he could see the hall to be deserted. He had thought he was in the CIA building but he thought better of it now.

A few moments later, he heard a voice behind the door before it opened and inside stepped Andrews, pulling a very frightened and pale Nicky from her arm. Her dark hair was disheveled and he could tell she was shaking slightly as Andrews led her into the chair in front of him.

She sat awkwardly and when he turned to face him, she smiled a nervous yet warmth smile. Andrews merely stood beside Nicky in silence.

"I want to talk to her." Jason said in the same tone as before.

Andrews merely stared at him. Nicky was looking back and forth between the two men.

"Alone..." Jason finished in a soft yet commanding voice.

Andrews hesitated before nodding at the guard towards the door. They left but not before Andrews gave Jason that clearly stood for, _don't screw this up or else_.

"Five minutes, and five minutes only." Andrews said, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

At the exact moment, Jason got out of his chair and knelt next to Nicky, reaching out to her with his wrists handcuffed still. He took hold of both her hands and asked her if she was okay.

"I-I'm fine." she managed to stammer after a minute.

"Nicky, we're going to get out of this, I promise. We just have to be more clever than them." he said softly, trying to reassure her while he he gripped her hands tight.

She merely kept on nodding. He could that with the whole situation, she more than just frightened, she was terrified. He wanted to hold her, to embrace her just like she had him for comfort but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to do so and he hated his self for that.

He noticed she had goosebumps and since the room was cold, he found it odd. _Probably the scare itself_. He ran his hand up her arm, rubbing it to warm her up when she flinched.

"Nicky, what's wrong?" he asked now worried.

"Jas-they-I was sedated. I..feel very...weak. My head-spinning." she said in raspy voice. She could barely talk. Her words came out slightly above a whisper. It was then that he realized this people meant business. They had sedated her to make sure he didn't try to escape. Smart people this whole lot they were but Jason wasn't ready to give up. _There must be another way_.

"What-will...they do to us? Nicky asked flustered.

"I'm not sure. They want me to get rid of Marshall, pinning it on someone from their own. They didn't say who but they did say that if I do this, they would let us go. I highly doubt that though. I'm trying to figure out another way to do this, to get us out of here but I can't. Besides, it won't be of any use to us if we don't have evidence." Jason said irritated.

The whole situation itself was irritating and completely hectic but then again so was his life. He had tried to fool himself into thinking he would get out of there, think that he would be allowed to lead a normal life after he had gotten himself into the mess he was now. There was no use denying it now. He had no choice other than to do as they said, perhaps once he was out, he could think clearly and find a way to escape.

"Look Nicky, I know this may seem wrong but I'll agree to do this only to fool them. I'll think of a way to get you out of here and-"

"Cronin...they got him as well." she added tiredly.

"...Both of you safely. I just need to let them think they have the upper hand on this ok?"

He reached up to caress the soft, smooth skin of her face on reflex. She seemed to need reassurance that everything would turn out fine. As he ran his fingers down the length of her face, she closed her eyes and he smiled, despite the situation. It was a moment in which the pleasant feeling served to calm the queasiness he felt. Slowly, her smile appeared too and he felt joy in being able to have caused it. Just then, the door opened and in stepped Andrews, ruining the moment.

"The time is up." he merely sated in a strong, soft voice.

Jason pulled back from Nicky and he noticed her smile had disappeared, her lips pursed and looking down on the floor. It would be for her he did this and not to help them. Even if it meant he had to die, so long as Nicky was left free, it would be fine.

"Officer, please escort Ms. Parsons back to interrogation room." Andrews said.

"No!" Jason blurted out.

The officer halted as Andrews merely glared at him.

"Leave her here." Jason continued.

"You understand that we have matters to discuss..." Andrews replied inquisitively.

"I understand that but I won't allow you to let her leave. She stays or we won't discuss a thing." Jason added defiantly.

Andrews looked livid but after a moment he gestured for the officer to return to his place as he merely walked to the wall and leaned against it, giving Jason his full attention.

"If I agree to do this, will you let her go?" Jason asked.

Andrews turned to look at Nicky and smirked. Upon this, she merely turned away and Jason could see goosebumps form in her arms. He didn't know why but he got the feeling that Andrews had done more than merely brought her here. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. Someone dared touched her? After it was all done, he promised himself he would personally end Andrews' feel pain, he would see to it.

"But of course. Wouldn't want Ms. Parsons to get hurt now do we?" he said in a mocking concern tone. It was enough to make Jason's insides turn.

"Well then, have you made your decision?" Andrews asked, bringing the subject back for discussion.

After a moment, Jason finally spoke in a soft, but defiant voice.

"Yes, I'll do this."

"Splendid! Now, officer take Ms. Parsons back into the-"

"She stays!" Jason reminded him.

Andrews glared at him before he smirked once more.

"Very well then, she stays to listen to the plan." he said joyfully.

"Now what you will do is very simple as I explained before. You go in and do what only you know and before you leave, make sure to leave the evidence behind to make it appear as a murder." he said, sarcastically.

"But it is a murder." Jason interrupted him.

"I know that but we want to make it look like Pamela did it and-"

"Landy?" Nicky asked horrified, for the first time.

"Well yeah, I mean it's only logical she would be the one seeking revenge after Marshall framed her." he said casually.

"But Marshall didn't-couldn't have!" she continued still horrified. It seemed the drug's effects were finally subsiding.

"Yeah we know that but the rest of the committee don't and that is what we have at our advantage, now let's get back on track. When you arrive-"

"You can't do that! That's not fair-she's innocent!" Nicky continued dignified.

"Ms. Parsons if you continue to interrupt me, I will be forced to send you out of the room or since Mr. Bourne doesn't want that, I will have to tape your mouth shut!" he said harshly.

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Jason added, furiously.

"Well then keep your girlfriend's mouth shut! I can't even get a word out before she interrupts. We have important matters here to discuss and we can't miss a second more." he continued.

Jason turned to Nicky and gave her a soft, reassuring look. She kept quiet afterwards and merely kept her gaze on the floor.

"Good now, when you arrive at your destination, you can't allow him to see you. If he recognizes you, your jeopardizing _her_. Remember, it's her life at stake. Make one mistake and she's very well dead." he said bitterly.

"When do you want me to do it?" Jason asked, not needing for anyone to remind him it was her life at risk.

"Right now." Andrews replied.

Nicky looked like she was about to say something but thought better of it and remained silent. She only sent Jason a concerned gaze. It seemed to Jason like she was in the verge of tears.

"You will be taken to get your things and you will do this within the night. This task can't be prolonged much longer. You have until tomorrow at six. If you fail, she is _history._" Andrews added dramatically.

Jason stood and pulled his hands up to him, gesturing for Andrews to take the handcuffs off. Andrews reading his thoughts, pulled out a key and did so. Jason rubbed his wrists which had marks of them, they were put in much too tight, probably to make sure he couldn't use them.

He turned to look at the officer and back at Nicky. He knew this was hurting her perhaps more than him. He would have to kill in order to save her life and she was torn between it. The guilt would follow her everywhere she went if he completed his mission and if he failed, she would be put to death. He could dispose of Marshall, in order to save her, after all, that was what he used to do before. He was trained to be an assassin, this was no different than the past missions except having Nicky in danger.

"Where are the others?" Jason asked curiously as Andrews opened the door and gestured to step out.

"What others?" Andrews asked, clearly confused.

"The other agents and such." Jason replied.

"There aren't any, except for another one, Mann and an officer as well in the interrogation room across. Why?" he asked, a hint of worry obvious in his voice.

"Just thought I'd ask before I did this!"

Having no time to react, Jason elbowed Andrews in the face, quite strongly, taking him by surprise. He fell backwards his nose a bloody mess. The guard who had also been taken by surprise, clumsily reached for his gun but Jason was too fast. He reached the officer within a few strides, punching him in the face, grabbing him by the arm, and pulling him over him and sending him down on the floor with a strong thud. Jason took the gun from him when he noticed, Andrews reaching to his waist. Jason ran to him and before Andrews had time to fire, he snatched his gun as well. He forced himself on top of Andrews and began punching him quite strongly, not giving it any thought like the assassin he had been trained to become.

Ire taking over his senses he continued his assault when he felt two hands reaching out to him and as he looked up he realized it was Nicky. She pulled him away from him clumsily as Andrews laid unconscious. He quickly checked for any other weapon he could carry and found one strapped on his right ankle. He removed it, handing it to Nicky and proceeded to check the officer. He was about to walk back when he heard a shot fired. He felt his breath come short as he thought Andrews had shot Nicky. Turning around he saw Andrews still lying unconscious and Nicky wearing a guilty expression.

"Sorry...I-err-it was unintentionally." she said, apologetically.

"It's fine, come on-we've got to go." Jason said firmly.

He hurried to help her off the floor when he heard another door open. He motioned for Nicky to move aside and aimed the gun at the entrance. Just then, an officer and another agent rushed to the room. He could only guess the agent was the infamous Mann and without a second thought, shot him in the leg. Just as the officer was about to take aim himself, he heard Nicky's edgy but strong voice.

"Drop it!"

The officer, feeling useless, did as he was told and raised his hands in surrender. Mann was still on the floor, grunting and grabbing his leg. Jason quickly rushed to check Mann for any other weapon but only found one. Rising once more, he aimed at the officer and gestured for Nicky to grab the gun he had dropped. Once she had, he told her to run. He was about to leave but realized they would no doubt call for assistance if there was any so he did what he could only do. He punched them both unconscious. Satisfied, he followed Nicky seeking for an escape.

* * *

A/N: So I've finally gotten to the action, at least I tried to make it with enough action and trying to make the others as well. However, I have to say that these are probably the last chapters of the story since I already revealed the plot, the whole plan and well there's only so much I can do.

Anyway hope you continue to enjoy it and please continue to R&R! I just finished this chapter by the way, took like three-four hours to write. It was a long chapter! Thank you so much for those who reviewed!


	18. Chapter 18

They were running through endless hallways with not so much as a clue to where they were. They knew they had only a limited amount of time to escape before Andrews and the others regained their consciousness. The building appeared to belong to the CIA or some form of special operations agency. There were rooms upon rooms filled with special equipment for both agents and persons such as him. He realized then that taking their weapons was of no use.

Nicky was running as fast as her legs permitted her but after all she had gone through within twenty-four hours, and the drug's effects, it was a miracle she still possessed the ability to move. Her breath was coming short as she slowed down in a dark hallway that resembled the rest. Grasping for air she leaned against the wall, coughing. Suddenly, the coughing turned violent, not permitting her to cease or breathe. She was choking! Although she couldn't see herself, she knew she had turned red and perhaps changing color by the second. Her coughing would not cease and there was nothing she could do.

Jason upon realizing Nicky was no longer joining him in running, he turned around to find her choking on her coughing. He looked around, searching for a water fountain or something of the sort that would be of use but there was none. He hurried up to her frantically trying to help her. He started patting her in the back, hoping that somehow it would do any good and after a minute or so, she began to regain control. Her coughs became to subside as her normal color returned. Words could not describe how relieved he was.

Without giving no importance to the situation, he pulled her in his embrace, glad that she was fine and was still with him. He had never thought until then that as much danger as they were, she could very well leave him within a minute's time not for a bullet that tore against her flesh, but for a mere incident of every day life. The thought terrified him, thinking he was one step from losing her. Holding her tight and enlightened at the feeling of her warm skin against his, he brushed his lips against her forehead and kissed it lightly. She made no move to pull back, but merely pulled him tighter yet.

Breaking the contact after a moment, he began to look around, hoping to find a way out. Wherever it was they were, it sure was a secluded area, no sign of exit anywhere. Grabbing her hand, not wanting to let her go, he began to open door after door, hoping to find a way out. After no luck in the first three, he opened the fourth to find a room with equipment such as wires, bulletproof vests and small tape recorders. He felt Nicky pull him back unto the hallway but he pulled her back inside.

"Jason we need to go! We need to find Cronin!" she said frantically.

"I know and we will but hold on." he replied, somewhat excitedly.

"What are you doing?" she asked confused.

"Look, even if we escaped, it wouldn't be of any use to us-"

"-Because we don't have any evidence. I know but..." she interrupted before realization struck her.

Upon seeing her expression, he nodded to her while gathered the needed equipment they were to use. She understood now what he was trying to do. They needed some form to capture his confession and send it to the CIA.

"But wait, that would mean we're going back with them" she said inquisitively.

"No, at least not intentionally. We will meet up with them however once we go in search of Cronin. I don't know where he is but-"

"-He's in one of the interrogation rooms but not here, at least not on this floor." she blurted out.

"I overheard Mann and Andrews before he left with you."

"So there are more-" he said inquiring that Andrews had been lying.

"-No. There isn't anyone else except them. Cronin was left in there alone."

"Well then, come on, we've got to find him!" he said agitated.

After they were set, he took her hand once more in his, and ran out the room in search once more for some stairs leading to the floor beneath or an elevator. They seemed to have been running around for quite a few minutes before they came to a set of emergency stairs. Hurriedly, they made their way down, running against time. It would not be long now before Andrews and his 'gang' awoke and were after them, if they hadn't done so already.

As they traveled down, he couldn't help but think about something that was troubling him. Andrews was the one who was ordering him to kill Marshall but why? Wasn't Taylor the one who behind it all? Had they been wrong all along and wasted time thinking up secret plots that he could be coming up with when it had been Andrews the whole time? After a minute or so and as they reached the door leading to the floor where presumably Cronin was located, they walked out and found themselves in another set of hallways much like the ones above.

Still thinking about Andrews, he realized that perhaps they had been right, after all, Andrews was Taylor's assistant and it would only be logical for him to set out to make sure everything was taken care of. Taylor wasn't as stupid as to risk being seen and known it was him who framed Landy and ordered the assassination of Marshall. He was much to smart for that but Andrews wasn't. He was the key to bring both him and Taylor down and set things straight once and for all.

"Jason, over here!" Nicky cried out exasperatedly, bringing him back to the present situation.

They made their way to a door at the end of a hallway and as he kicked opened the door, sending it slamming against the wall, he saw a nervous Cronin, tied to a chair. He looked a mess, on the side of his face, a small trail of blood was visible, presumably from an attack of either agents or officers.

"Jason, Nicky!" he cried out excitedly.

Jason had to admit that he felt somewhat relieved that aside from the bloody face, he would be fine. Oddly enough, it was the first time he had ever felt a satisfaction such as the one he felt then at seeing someone aside from the one he loved.

Setting out to undo the knots and release Cronin, Jason worked silently as Nicky noticing a bottle of water set on a table, began to dab at Cronin's wound to cleanse it.

"Ugh, gross! Just leave it at that Nicky. I don't want that idiot's germs on me!" Cronin cried out disgustedly.

Nicky laughed light-heartedly for the first time and Jason merely chuckled. At least if nothing went well, he had a good memory aside from the ones he shared with Nicky to make him die peacefully. _No-wait! No Jason, focus! That's not going to happen! _He shook his head as to get rid of the thoughts that were plaguing his mind and once finished with Cronin, he helped him up.

"Thanks...Jason..." Cronin called out to him softly.

Jason having turned his back on Cronin to check outside, turned to face him once more as he called out to him. He noticed Cronin seemed to be struggling with words but judging from his expressions and after everything they had gone through and the time they spent together, Jason knew him well enough to know what he was trying to say. He too wanted to thank Cronin for his help but there was no way to do so without making things awkward between them. He highly appreciated the man for his courage and values but could not bring himself to tell him that. Instead, he merely nodded and once again, judging by Cronin's smile, he realized he too could tell what he meant by it.

"Right then, let's go!" Jason said, gesturing to follow him.

He took hold of Nicky's hand once more and made his way out. Had he not been focused on looking out for Andrews and the rest of his team, he would have realized the exchange of glances by both Cronin and Nicky. Cronin upon noticing Jason's actions of grabbing Nicky's hands, gave Nicky a questioning look and she merely blushed. There was no need for words, she needed not to explain, it was obvious merely by her reaction. He smiled at the thought of Nicky and Jason together. He had always thought they would make a good pair, at least since he saw them on his doorstep, a few weeks ago. After sharing a house with them, it was obvious there was something more than just their working together but they were either too blind to see or they were completely clueless. Knowing Nicky though, he knew it was due to the fact that they were believed to be different from one another and with Nicky's shyness, she would never admit to having feelings for anyone, especially Jason, at least not in the open.

They had made their way back unto the stairs from which they had previously come from. Setting out to travel down once more hurriedly, their footsteps could be heard thundering through the narrow corridor. They must have ran for a few minutes nonstop before they heard others running a few floors above, and could only guess it was Andrews with the others after them.

"Hurry, faster!" Cronin cried out.

The stairs seemed to extend long before they could reach the desired floor. They seemed to be flying down, skipping a few steps to fasten their pace. He saw then the door which was their way out and knew that they would make it out long before Andrews caught up to them. He didn't want to expose Nicky nor Cronin but he needed Andrews to repeat what he had revealed in order to have evidence.

He knew he had to stay behind to gather it so he came to a halt, making both Cronin and Nicky stop abruptly. He had to let go of her and it hurt him to do so but there was no other way.

"You go. I'll catch up with you both later." he said anxiously.

"But...I don't-I-what about you?" Nicky cried out worriedly.

"I'll stay behind. We still need that evidence." he replied.

"Isn't there another way?" she asked, although she already knew the answer to it.

Jason merely gazed at her, trying to memorize her features, everything about her in a minute, in case something went wrong. She had tears once more in her eyes and he knew then that it hurt her as much having to part but it was necessary. Glancing towards Cronin, he gestured for him to take Nicky. He nodded and grabbing unto her arms, he pulled her back but Nicky refused. She reached out to Jason, grasping his arm and begging him with her eyes to leave with them.

He simply smiled and before he could control the urge, he did the unexpected. Taking hold of her arms gently but firm, he pulled her in a kiss. He had been longing to do that for so long and now, at one step from death, he thought it'd be now or never. He kissed her gently, savoring the moment he had missed out on for quite a long time, and perhaps would not have the opportunity to repeat. He could tell by her actions that she had been taken by surprise but nevertheless, she neither pulled back nor rejected him. She kissed him back, with the same feeling, with the same emotion as did he. The feel of her soft lips against his, was enough for him to cry out in pleasure but he saved it for later. She gripped his arms strongly as he moved his hands from her arms to her waist.

It must have been only a few moments or so before they parted, both flushed at the clearing of someone's throat, of whom they could guess was Cronin. They had momentarily forgotten he was still standing a few feet away from them both. Not only was it him they had forgotten but the present dangerous situation. It was only fair to have the ability to escape such chaotic and heartbreaking scene. Had she been in the verge of tears a few minutes before, she was no longer or could no longer hold the back, they were now flowing freely down her face.

"You have to go..." Jason said softly.

Nicky nodded in understanding but did not move. She remained standing before him, incapable of producing any movement at all. Was it really happening? All of it? The moment she had hoped for had finally happened, but it was not exactly how she would have pictured it. In her dreams this did not end with them parting, her to safety and him to sure death. Although she knew he was strong and clever, she doubted it would be any good against Andrews and his team.

"Cronin please...take care of her." Jason now said to Cronin.

They heard shouts above alerting them they were close enough. Cronin stepped closer to Nicky before he grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her back, forcing her to part from Jason. He remained motionless keeping his gaze set firmly on her. He did not smile. His features had lost any sense of emotion, returning to their impassiveness he always used to wear.

A few minutes later, Nicky and Cronin had disappeared from view and Jason was left standing alone once more just like he had done so many times before, waiting to strike. It was like one of the many missions he had taken from the CIA, although he could not remember, he knew they were like this. He knew he was always alone, waiting for the kill.

He heard footsteps slow down into a steady pace and as he looked up, he saw Andrews gazing back at him with blood smeared across his face. If he had tried to clean it off, he had made things worse. What caught Jason's attention however, was the fact that he was alone. Were the others waiting for his move? Were they aiming at him now, expecting him to get within reach or view for them to shoot? Trying to act casual, he slipped his hand inside his pocket and turned the recorder on.

"So...thought you would escape?" Andrews said bitterly.

Jason remained quiet. He wanted, needed to concentrate. While they were back in the equipment room, he had gotten things ready. The tape was set, it was all ready to be recorded and serve as evidence.

"I needed to make sure she would be fine." Jason finally replied nonchalantly.

"Is that so? I think you just made a grave mistake Jason." he replied coolly.

Jason did not respond but merely gave Andrews an is-that-so look. Enough time had passed since Cronin and Nicky had left, they should very well be a few blocks away from the place.

"We'll find her. We will Bourne and we won't take pity on her. It doesn't matter where _she_ or _you _run off to. We will _always _find you! Hasn't that been made clear enough already?" he said exasperatedly.

"We're the CIA! We've got the needed equipment to search for anyone we want and-"

"-Kill anyone you need to be rid off." Jason finished.

"What? Don't tell me you're turning soft. Is that because of the girl? Your girlfriend can't save you. You were made an assassin and that's what you will always be in the eyes of everyone! Don't you get that?" he cried out in frustration.

"Tell me, why do you want to get rid of Marshall? What has he done to you?" Jason continued, ignoring Andrews.

"What?!" he scoffed.

"Now you're turning psychological on me?" Andrews asked.

Jason remained quiet, waiting for Andrews to respond. He was starting to think that Andrews knew what he was trying to do.

"Look I already told you. It was all very simple. We were going to let you and Parsons go after you killed him. You would have walked away calmly. You just needed to set the evidence that Landy had murder him. Kill Marshall, frame Landy and you were free to go? Is that so difficult to understand?" Andrews cried hissed.

He was turning red at each word, and Jason could tell he was beginning to lose his patience. However, he too was beginning to get impatient. With worrying about whether or not Nicky and Cronin had found a safe hiding place by then and making Andrews reveal their plan, he was getting frustrated.

"Now, normally after this, we wouldn't offer you a second chance, but since you are the infamous Jason Bourne, I'm willing to give it to you. Now tell me, do you or do you not accept?" he asked bitterly.

"You didn't answer my questions." Jason responded.

Clearly he was avoiding the topic but Jason wasn't about to give up. He just needed to get enough out of him to fully satisfy the committee. With what he had gathered, it would have been more than enough for him but they would be much more difficult to convince. Andrews sighed deeply before he continued.

"My boss needs him out of the picture for him to get his post. Once he becomes CIA director, I get his post which used to belong to Landy and Mann gets mine at the current moment. So you see, we all move one step ahead. Satisfied?" he said sarcastically.

"Taylor is the one behind all this then?" Jason asked once more.

"You know, you're really starting to aggravate me. How many times do I have to explain it to you? Yes! Taylor is my boss. He needs Marshall with a bullet through his head, and Landy accused for it. It will be perfect because no one would be surprised for seeking revenge." he finished gleefully.

"Now Bourne, I don't have time to chat so why don't we get on with our task?" he asked impatiently.

Jason remained quiet but merely nodded. He had gotten what he sought and now he had to find a way to get out of there to make sure the recording would be heard. He raised his hands as in surrender and took a step forward. Andrews took it as a sign to go handcuff him. He walked down the steps and neared him, taking slow, cautious steps. Jason merely kept his gaze firmly on him. He needed him near enough to be able to inflict damage and have the opportunity to run.

"I don't have handcuffs on me right now." he said, smirking at Jason.

Andrews reached down to his waist and knew he was reaching for a gun. Without a second to lose, Jason punched him on his stomach but it seemed Andrews was expecting that. He covered the blow and punched Jason on the face, sending him stumbling back before he caught his balance. Jason faked to trying to punch him in the face and as Andrews pulled up his arms in defense, Jason kicked him, exactly where it hurt him the most. As Andrews doubled over, Jason took this as a chance to punch him in the face again and again and did not stop until somehow Andrews got hold of one of his hands and twisted it, sending pain through Jason's arms, making him pull back and cease the attack.

It was then that Andrews stood once more still slightly bending over and took something from his pocket. It was only a second that Jason had a chance to see before Andrews lunged at him with it. The object reflected the light and it was then he realized it was a knife. He bend low as Andrews took aim at his neck, barely missing him by inches. Jason then threw himself unto the floor, kicking Andrews and sending him to the floor as well. With the impact, the knife flew off his hand and landed a few feet away from them both.

Jason was about to stand when he felt Andrews land on top of him, gripping his neck and punching him. He tried to avoid the blows but with him cutting off his breath and trying to remain conscious, it was much too difficult. He tried to kick him but it was useless, instead, he gripped his neck as well, pushing down with both thumbs. It was the same move he had tried on the guy who had chased both him and Nicky from her apartment building. Apparently it was working, Andrews grip became to lessen but so did Jason's. He then felt he had no other choice but to try to get him off before it was too late.

Mustering all his strength, he forced Andrews off him, sending him back unto the floor and paused a minute to catch his breath before he continued with his assault. Throwing himself on top of Andrews, he gripped his neck once more as Andrews tried desperately to free himself. He was trying to reach for the knife and Jason upon noticing this, tried to shove it away. With no alternative, Andrews punched Jason once more which made him loosen his grip and gave Andrews the perfect opportunity to reach for the knife.

Jason now lying on the floor felt Andrews throw himself on top of him, momentarily sending him to gasp for air and cough. Andrews now with the knife in hand, aimed at Jason's chest but he caught it inches before he plunged it through. They were both now struggling against each other. Both of their strength were equally matched. However, within a few moments, Jason began to weaken which left Andrews with the advantage.

The knife now a few centimeters from stabbing Jason's heaving chest, Jason concentrated instead in pushing the knife aside, diverting it from his body. This apparently worked because Andrews was having difficulty in keeping it aimed directly at him. With one final grunt, Jason managed to push the knife away. Before Andrews had time to react, Jason punched him in the face and made to get up but as he did so, Andrews tried one last attempt to drive the knife through, managing to cut Jason in his left, upper arm. Hissing in pain, Jason reached for his gun and with no second thought, he took aim and fired. Nicky would not have liked him to kill people and he had to remember, even if said people were trying to end with their life.

Making sure the recorder was still in his pocket and it was not lost in the struggle, he ran out of the building and out unto what appeared to be an alley. Looking around to make sure there wasn't anyone he had to hide from he then made his way out, heading to the street visible a few yards away. He had to find Nicky and Cronin. Where could they be? Where had they run off to? Just then it occurred to him that he had made a mistake in having send them off without so much as a clue to their whereabouts.

Reaching the streets, he noticed people rushing about as usual. He could hear a few cars honking in the distance and people all around him, talking, laughing, some of them sending him odd glances. Trying to divert any suspicion away from him, he tried to act casual as he joined the individuals in the streets. He decided to walk about through the perimeter of the building. They were probably not far, Nicky would have thought about staying close enough to allow themselves to meet up again.

With no idea where he was headed, he looked around hoping to find any clue to where Nicky would be. It was not for long however, that his hopes ceased to be hopes and turned to reality. He heard a voice call out his name and he recognized it as _hers_. It was Nicky and as he whipped around, trying to locate her, and saw her waving and smiling at him. She noticed Cronin beside her, smiling as well, his wound was now cleansed, even from the distance he could notice it. She looked radiant, her cheeks now a rosy color and her dark, short hair flowing in the wind. The suit also served her well. The black clothes she wore, pants, coat, and scarf all matching, made her color stand out more. _Wait-hang on! When had she gotten a coat? _

He came to a halt in the middle of the street, completely confused. Could she have had time to change while he was still fighting with Andrews? How long had he taken? A slight breeze blew through and he realized then just how cool the air was. He thought back on the day he had last been out in the streets of New York and it was warm out. He had been with Nicky then too, it was the day they had met up with each other. Now, here he was again, about to meet up with her after it was all done with.

He heard her voice once more call out to him. He looked up to meet her gaze and she was still smiling and waving, gesturing for him to go to her. He started walking towards her and as he neared her, he took one last look around and that was when he saw them. There were snipers located in a nearby building, although at who they were aiming, it was impossible to tell. Trying to send her off, he shouted at her to stay back, to remain within the building. Startling a few people around him, he shoved them out of the way as he ran towards her. She stood in place, confused.

He gestured for her to remain back but she simply did not understand. She looked around, expecting to see what had gotten him so worked up and after a moment she spotted them. There were snipers in the building beside the one she and Cronin had been resting. She knew it was Jason they were aiming for and without thinking, she ran towards him, her features set in horror.

Cronin remained within the building. He noticed both Nicky and Jason running towards each other, terrified but he didn't understand why. He stepped out and looked around, expecting to see Andrews and his team after them but saw no one until he looked up into the building beside and finally noticed them. It was in that swift moment that he looked up when he heard the shot being fired and a cry of agony cut through the screams and shouts of the people witness to the horrific event.

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A/N: So sorry it was so long but I couldn't find no satisfying way to end the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Now, I hope this (the kiss) did not seemed rushed. I just always liked scenes like that in the middle of the action. (I loved Will and Jack's kiss in POTC:At World's End) 

Anyway, I really, really, really, hope you all enjoyed it, especially since it took such a long time to write! It's 4:34 am and I'm supposed to wake up within two hours! lol

Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! They mean a lot to me. They keep me motivated to continue writing and updating faster. Also, as you have already noticed and I already said, the fic is coming to it's end. I'll probably do a few chapters more, maybe four or so and that will be it.

For those who said to continue to do more Jason/Nicky, I'm seriously considering it. I'm actually thinking about writing a sequel to it but I don't know, maybe I'll just make it into another different fic but first I would have to take some time. (I need rest)

As for those who are hoping that I don't kill Nicky, I wouldn't like to give away the ending but I will say, I don't like killing the main characters because although sad endings are usually good because it's different from all the other stories, I couldn't live with myself for leaving Jason all alone. (long sentence!)

Now please continue to R&R! And of course enjoy!


	19. Chapter 19

"_I-I'm sorry Jason...pl..se for-forgive me..." she said in a gravelly voice, barely audible. She was lying in his shaking arms drenched by her blood._

"_There is nothing to forgive you for. I'm the one that's sorry...please Nicky, just hang on, help will come soon, please don't leave me! Not you too..." _

"_Don't Nicky, shh...it'll be all right." Nicky ignored him and very softly he heard her say, "I...I-lv...run..." and with that her eyes closed forever as he was left on the pavement holding on to her lifeless body rocking back and forth as his tears flowed freely. _

"_No-"_

Jason's dream came rushing back to him as he saw Nicky running towards him. Everything was exactly the same. This was it, this was the moment. He had to act prudently if he wanted to save her. He would not let the dream become a reality.

He heard a car honking and the shot long before he could see the effects. Within seconds he felt something hit him with enough force to send him flying above and backwards and then back on the ground. He laid for a few moments motionless. He heard screaming and the sound of a car honking endlessly. Then, a voice, a worried but gentle voice that seemed a great distance away, calling out his name. Firmly but gently, a pair of hands made their way to his shoulders and chest, holding unto him softly. He knew that voice and he recognized that touch but he felt weak and everything appeared to be miles away. Try as he may, he could not bring himself to open his eyes and reassure her.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he opened his eyes, everything a blur to him at the moment. His sense of hearing becoming stronger until returning to normal, he realized the honking continued. He heard someone gasping and as he tried to get up, he felt the same arms take hold of him until his head was resting against one and the other was resting upon his torso. He looked up to see the one at his side and smiled, or at least tried to when he realized it was her.

"Nicky..." he managed to whisper in a grating voice.

"I-I'm sorry Nicky...pl..se for-forgive me..." he said in a gravelly voice, barely audible.

He was lying in her shaking arms, a headache torturing him at the moment. The sight of her however, was enough to make the pain subside.

"There is nothing to forgive you for. I'm the one that's sorry, if I had only listened to you...please Jason, just hang on, help will come soon, please don't leave me! Not you..."

"Don't Nicky, shh...it'll be all right."

Nicky ignored him. He had just been run over by a car and he expected her to remain calm? She knew he was strong but the impact of the car against his fragile body or the fall was well enough to cause worry. After everything they had gone through, she couldn't believe it would finally end like this. Thinking it was now or never, she revealed what she had held in for so long now but had been to shy to do so.

"I-I...I love you Jason." she managed to choke out.

Her tears were flowing freely now and amongst the chaos and the noise, it was a miracle he had heard her. The words she spoke however was something out of a dream, not the kind he had but the kind he wished he did. He smiled weakly at her. He knew what had happened and he wasn't badly hurt, probably just bruised, he had his training to thank for it. Through years and training, he had developed a much stronger body than others, not immortal but highly potent.

His breathing, shallow minutes before, was returning to normal. He gathered his strength and pulled himself into a sitting position, holding unto Nicky's hands to support him. She looked concerned and as he looked around, he noticed people were gazing at him in awed-struck faces. He also noticed then that the honking had stopped and realized he had been lying next to the car the whole time. It was a taxi, and just then, he saw Cronin make his way towards him, wiping his hands on a handkerchief. He had a solemn look on him and it was then he understood that the honking was due to the driver of the taxi. He was dead.

"Wait! Where...where are the-" he blurted out, having forgotten about the snipers.

"Don't worry. Calm down, they're gone. Are you all right?" Nicky said concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What...how-are you?" he managed to ask.

"I'm all right too." she replied.

"Yeah don't worry about me either, don't bother to ask, my answer is the same as both of you." Cronin said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, joining in the conversation.

Nicky gave him an apologetic look before she returned her gaze back to Jason. He heard a siren at a distance and he became concerned. How was he going to explain? The CIA would probably be there within a few minutes as well and although he already had the needed information, he needed the committee to listen to it.

"So now what?" Cronin asked concerned as well, it was obvious he was thinking the same thing.

"We go to Marshall...right?" Nicky asked.

Jason made to stand as both Nicky and Cronin helped him. People had gathered once more to witness the 'accident', making it impossible to carry out a conversation there, especially one that dealt with the issues needed to discuss.

"Let's go somewhere we can have some privacy." Jason finally said.

Both Nicky and Cronin nodded. Jason tried to walk but it was too painful. Pain shot through his body the moment he tried to take a step. Noticing his wincing, Cronin walked over to him, pulling an arm around his neck and helped him to a nearby restaurant, the one they had been waiting for Jason minutes before the event.

A few moments later they arrived, the manager of the restaurant taking precautions to assure that Jason was comfortable, as he had witnessed everything. Setting him down on a chair, they were able to see it all and they would be within reach of both ambulance and police once they arrived.

"What happened exactly?" Jason asked after a moment of silence while both Cronin and Nicky studied him.

Nicky remained quiet, it appeared she was still somehow shocked and after being thrown backwards unto the ground, Jason hadn't time to notice anything in his surroundings. Cronin was the only one to speak and he did so in a hushed matter, to make sure those around him could not hear.

"Well you saw them. They took aim at you Jason but what you didn't see presumably because of your altered state was the cab behind you. The man was barely slowing down when he saw you, he tried to bring the cab to a halt but it was too late. The snipers fired but since the taxi got in the way, the bullet..." he paused as he noticed Nicky wincing from the detailed description she knew he would get into.

"...Well, he was the one shot for his..." he paused, trying to choose his next words carefully.

"...Inopportune timing. They left afterwards and well with the driver being shot, the cab was lost control and hit you. Fortunately, it crashed against the pole stopping it from inflicting more damage." he finished.

"Jason, what about Andrews?" Nicky asked, turning the subject back to the one they needed to discuss.

"He's...immobilized. We don't have to worry about that right now." he said, glancing towards Cronin who gave him a nod of understanding. Nicky merely looked to both men and realized what he had meant.

"Well then, did you get it?" Cronin asked.

"I told him you were after evidence." Nicky added.

"Yeah, I did. I just don't know whether it's correct to wait for them. Maybe we should send it to the CIA anonymously." Jason said hopefully.

"But that won't prove anything. They have to see you Jason, it's the only way they'll believe. We have witness and you have us..." she said pointing from her to Cronin.

"...You have me." she finished softly after a moment.

He had his hands set on the table where Cronin sat across and Nicky at his side. At her words, she reached out to hold both his hands in hers. She looked at him mildly, giving him a soft smile. The moment was interrupted as the sirens were heard strongly and as they looked out unto the scene, they saw an ambulance arriving as well as a few cops. Firefighters were not behind although he found it strange that they'd be called. That was not all however, arriving on the scene were a couple of cars that he recognized at once, belonged to those of the CIA. It was time.

He turned to look at Cronin and Nicky, all three of them exchanging worried glances. Whatever happened then was not up to them. They had done everything they could to unmask Taylor and Andrews.

They turned back on the scene to see, much to their surprise, Marshall stepping out of one of the cars. Taylor however, was nowhere in sight. The coward was probably back in his office waiting on news since he was much too good to show his face. Jason was seriously considering running off now. Had he done right in staying? There was no guarantee that he was going to be believed. It was more than a probability that they would arrest him, take him in and perhaps do what they had been waiting to do for so long now. However, escape was no longer an option, it was much too late and he was much too exhausted.

Nicky offered to bring him to them to avoid Jason the fatigue. She would try to convince him to allow them to explain the occurrences and what was behind it all without the need of going to extremes. Jason was doubtful but did not object nor did Cronin who appeared to comprehend both their thoughts.

Nicky made her way to Marshall who spotted her long before she reached him. He didn't appear to be surprised but he did seem intrigued to learn why she was walking directly towards him when she had turned her back on them. A moment later, Marshall turned his way and by then, his intrigued had turned to surprise. They talked a few minutes before they made their way back Jason and Cronin, all the while Marshall sent Jason questioning looks.

He arrived at the table, Cronin standing to greet him while Marshall merely gave him a disapproving look, presumably from thinking he had betrayed them. He sat down uncomfortably, as if expecting Jason to attack at any second. For a moment or so, no one said a word, everyone exchanging the same worried glances as before to one another. Finally, the silence was broken by CIA director himself, speaking in a low, serious tone.

"So, anyone care to explain what this is all about?"

Again silence, but this time before any of the men spoke, Nicky was the one who did, allowing Jason time to think of the way to explain things.

"Sir, over the past few weeks we have been studying Taylor...and we found some quite interesting things that you would be interested in. I think you would-should hear Jason out." she said nervously, passing the 'mike' to Jason.

He thought about it a moment, never before so nervous. It was the CIA director himself and before then, he did not remember ever being in direct contact with him. This was intimidating somehow and judging by Marshall's features it was too him as well. Clearing his throat, he spoke, allowing himself to explain the whole situation, starting from the day he and Nicky met but of course, leaving out the unnecessary details of his and Nicky's relationship.

A few minutes later, Marshall sat in complete shock and disbelief at what Jason had revealed. He had let him hear the recording and from his pale face and fidgeting in the seat, one could tell he was not entirely comfortable with the information, but then again how could he? Finding out someone was planning to kill him was enough to turn someone paranoid, having to look out for themselves at every second of the day and night.

"The committee needs to hear about this." Marshall finally spoke in a grating voice which Jason had to admit, he found interesting.

"Sir, what are the orders?" Cronin spoke for the first time since Marshall arrived.

"You three need to come with me." he said.

Jason was apprehensive. What if this was merely a trap? Sure enough at the moment he hadn't shown signs of wanting to arrest him but it was well enough to happen if he himself merely walked into their station. There would be no escaping then and he knew it. There was no point in denying it.

"Not possible." Jason finally replied.

"It's not an option Bourne, you _have_ to." he said firmly.

"I won't." Jason said stubbornly.

"You can't run, not in that state! Or perhaps you're thinking of going on a shooting rampage..." Marshall finished inquisitively.

Both Cronin and Nicky knew where this would lead if they allowed it to continue. Marshall was not a bad person, he only did what he thought was fair. He aboded with the law. Firing Landy was a mistake sure but with the fake evidence presented, he had no choice but to do so. He did what he believed was just, not always following instinct.

"Sir, Jason was only trying to help. He agreed to help us uncover Taylor in order to bring justice. He did nothing wrong." Nicky assured him.

"Jason?" he asked curiously.

"Ms. Parsons, I am only asking for your company in order to show the committee that what you say is true. Sure we have the evidence but your presence is required, after all, you three were the ones who began this whole devise to _bring justice_." he said sternly.

Jason knew he was probably going to regret it later but something about the director told him it was safe to trust him. That did not happen at all, with a few exceptions of course like Nicky, Cronin and Landy, those who had showed him they could be trusted. Marshall too gave the same sense of reassurance in a strange manner. He was much stricter and serious but overall he seemed like the fair type of man the CIA needed.

"Well then, let's go." Jason finally said hesitantly.

* * *

A/N: Boring much? I apologize if it was. I just needed to show neither Nicky nor Jason were going to be killed. (I can't have that)

Also, I know that Jason being only bruised and not killed or hospitalized seems unrealistic but I needed him this way. (Besides I'm not good with hospital scenes and information) Let's just say he was very well trained and therefore his body managed to get only bruised. Besides, the cab didn't hit him at full speed.

Now, like I said before, there will only be a few more chapters, about three or so and the story will come to an end. I guess much of it depends on the way I want to end it. There are a couple of ways I've thought about ending it and so they require a few twists. I just have to make up my mind about it.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and as always, thank you so much for your reviews! Please continue to R&R!


	20. Chapter 20

About an hour later or so, Jason, Nicky, and Cronin were sitting in the conference room facing Marshall and the rest of the committee as well. They were giving Jason odd glances, some of them appeared to be nervous. Did they think he was going to try something? He turned to Nicky and noticed she too was nervous, or so he could figure from her fidgeting. Turning to Cronin, he realized that he was not far although he was better at keeping himself composed. Jason had to admit that he was following Cronin's suit.

They were waiting for everyone to arrive. Marshall wanted to make sure no one was missing at an important meeting such as this. There was much needed to discuss and Jason's liberty was at risk. Whether he would be acquitted from all past charges against him, of which he knew not of but was sure the CIA would come up with, or he remained arrested, waiting to be killed, they would see. About a dozen or so individuals had shown up for the meeting but Taylor was nowhere to be seen. Jason had thought he'd be present since the meeting was mainly because of him.

After everyone had settled, Marshall took one good look around before his sight landed on Jason. He was staring back, his impassiveness making the CIA director wonder how it was he managed to maintain calm in a situation such as the one then. _How does he do it?_ He heard someone cough, followed by another clearing their throat. Shaking his head, he returned to the present where all eyes were set on him, waiting for him to begin.

Clearing his throat as well, he began with the usual low but firm voice, strong enough to carry out into the small meeting room.

"You are all probably wondering why I called you on such a short notice..." he paused as some of the committee nodded in agreement.

"...Given the circumstances, I had no other choice but to do so." he paused once more and glanced back at Jason.

"I was provided with evidence to a plot of an assassination...to which the target would be _myself_...and the orders given by one of _our own_." he finished dramatically.

There was a moment of uproar as the whole committee began to talk amongst themselves. It was obvious that they were not expecting to hear of something so shocking. Jason merely scoffed. He knew that they did not know the real reason behind Treadstone, but it still surprised him that they would be so naive as to reject the thought of possible criminal involvement amongst them. Sooner or later they would have to come to face the fact that at least one of them would become involved in criminal activity.

"How can this be?" one man asked.

"I..I just don't understand. Are you sure about this?" another spoke out as well.

"As I said, I have evidence to support it...Bourne here, was the one who provided it." Marshall commented, the last part in a lower tone. Perhaps it was shame of not having figured it out themselves and having to thank _him_ of all people for doing so. How could someone like him manage to gain such valuable information? After all, they were the Central Intelligence Agency. It was their job to stay ahead of anyone.

"Who made such orders?" the first man spoke out again.

"Why don't you hear this, it should clear any questions you may have." Marshall said, taking the recorder from his pocket and setting it down on the table. He rewound the tape before letting it play.

"_So...thought you would escape?"_

"_I needed to make sure she would be fine."_

"_Is that so? I think you just made a grave mistake Jason." _

"_We'll find her. We will Bourne and we won't take pity on her. It doesn't matter where she or you run off to. We will always find you! Hasn't that been made clear enough already?" _

"_We're the CIA! We've got the needed equipment to search for anyone we want and-"_

"_-Kill anyone you need to be rid off." _

"_What? Don't tell me you're turning soft. Is that because of the girl? Your girlfriend can't save you. You were made an assassin and that's what you will always be in the eyes of everyone! Don't you get that?" _

"_Tell me, why do you want to get rid of Marshall? What has he done to you?" _

"_What?!" _

"_Now you're turning psychological on me?" _

"_Look I already told you. It was all very simple. We were going to let you and Parsons go after you killed him. You would have walked away calmly. You just needed to set the evidence that Landy had murder him. Kill Marshall, frame Landy and you were free to go? Is that so difficult to understand?" _

"_Now, normally after this, we wouldn't offer you a second chance, but since you are the infamous Jason Bourne, I'm willing to give it to you. Now tell me, do you or do you not accept?" _

"_You didn't answer my questions." _

"_My boss needs him out of the picture for him to get his post. Once he becomes CIA director, I get his post which used to belong to Landy and Mann gets mine at the current moment. So you see, we all move one step ahead. Satisfied?" _

"_Taylor is the one behind all this then?" _

"_You know, you're really starting to aggravate me. How many times do I have to explain it to you? Yes! Taylor is my boss. He needs Marshall with a bullet through his head, and Landy accused for it. It will be perfect because no one would be surprised for seeking revenge." _

"_Now Bourne, I don't have time to chat so why don't we get on with our task?" _

"_I don't have handcuffs on me right now."_

The recording set off into grunts and noise of the struggle that followed. The fight was evident even in the recorder. The committee merely remained silent, incapable or unwilling to miss any of it. Some of them were glancing at each other in awe, others fidgeted in their seat, amongst them was Nicky who was clearly not comfortable listening to it. Suddenly a gun being fired filled the room, the sound of it coming from the recorder was loud enough to startle Nicky and a few. Then silence, indicating the end of the fight.

Some glanced towards Jason, clearly appalled and the rest refused to make eye contact with him as if trying to forget he was even in the room. After a minute, Marshall turned the small device off. He gazed around at his colleagues in silence, waiting for them to take in the information fully. After a few minutes, he finally spoke in his usual voice.

"As you have just noticed, three of ours were involved in this conspiracy. With my murder, former agent Landy would be framed in supposed thoughts of revenge for being fired after she was wrongfully accused of joining in illegal activity."

"It was planned since the beginning. Mann, Andrews, and Taylor were all in it." he continued.

"So what do we do?" asked a woman.

"We have to act prudently. Taylor is a dangerous man who as we have discovered, is capable of anything." he replied.

"How?" another man asked.

Marshall turned to Bourne, giving him a questioning look. Jason knew what he meant by that. Marshall wanted him to take care of it. He wanted him to take matters into his own hands. What Marshall didn't understand was that he no longer worked for them and although he participated in finding evidence that incriminated Taylor, he did it on his own, not working for the CIA. However, he knew that if he let them take care of things they would probably screw everything up. He couldn't let them do so, there was Nicky to look out for. He couldn't bear to risk her once more.

"Bourne, would you be willing to take care of this?" Marshall finally voiced his thoughts, confirming Jason's.

Jason was about to answer when a man spoke out, interrupting him.

"Marshall, sir, you can't be serious. This is Bourne! The very man we've been searching for!" he cried out exasperatedly.

Marshall glanced towards the man and gave him an irritated look.

"I know that, but it was Bourne himself that brought forth the information."

"With all your respect sir..." Nicky interrupted, directing herself to the man who had spoken out.

"It was Jas-Bourne that managed to uncover a plot of which none of the CIA had the slightest clue was occurring. He set us free after being captured by Andrews while he tried to convince or better yet force J-Bourne to murder the director. He refused and liberated us, staying behind himself, risking his own life to gain evidence of the plan so that you could learn the truth, and hopefully stop it before it was too late."

She was quite altered by then. She was flustered at the thought of them trying to make Bourne look the criminal when the only criminal was out and about.

"I'd say that you owed him the fact that our director is still with us and that you have evidence to support your decisions to bring justice upon this criminal and doing what is right." she finished.

Everyone remained silent, clearly taken aback by her reaction. Her bluntness had come as a surprise to them all. Normally she would try to keep out of the discussions and only voiced her opinion when absolutely necessary. Needless to say, the man turned slightly red, and diverted his gaze from either one present to the floor.

"Very well, Bourne..." Marshall said inquisitively, after a few minutes in silence.

Jason gave a slight nod. He turned to look at Nicky who gave him a worried smile. As much as she wanted it to end, she didn't want Jason to get himself into danger once more, but she understood it had to be done and there was no better man than Jason.

"What am I to do...sir." Jason finally said, glancing back to Marshall.

Marshall was about to answer him when the door was suddenly slammed open. Everyone whipped around to see who it was that had abruptly interrupted the meeting and were appalled to see it was none other than the person they were planning to bring down. Taylor stood, gazing at them all with a smirk.

"Hope I'm not late..." he said inquisitively, fixing his tie and carrying a portfolio.

Upon setting his sight on Jason, he momentarily froze but quickly recovered, making his way to the council table. He smiled at everyone as he made his way to sit next to Marshall but as he did so, those sitting close to the director moved in, closing the space between him and them.

Chuckling, Taylor then proceeded to take the only other seat available, unfortunately being the one next to Nicky. Jason however, stood within a second and swiftly made his way to her side, blocking the smirking man's path. He gestured for Nicky to take his seat next to Cronin, which would leave her between Cronin and himself.

Jason merely remained standing before Taylor, staring directly at him, unwilling to break eye contract. Everyone else looked back and forth between the men, as if to square off. No one said a word.

"You must be Jason Bourne." Taylor finally spoke.

Jason remained quiet as he studied the man who had caused so much trouble. If he had had any doubt before, he realized now that Taylor knew already that he had been discovered. Why he acted so coolly, he did not understood.

"You don't know the pleasure it is to finally meet you. I've heard so much about your work." he continued in a sneering manner.

"It is a pity however, that we meet under such circumstances." he commented, as he set his portfolio on the table and set to work on opening it.

"Taylor..." Marshall called out, his voice edgy.

Taylor ignored him. He finally opened it and expecting him to pull out a weapon, Jason got ready but to his surprise, he found only files and other papers. He felt someone take hold of his hand and as he turned his head over his shoulder, he realized it was Nicky. She looked concerned, she too knew Taylor was playing at something.

He heard something falling and a few gasps and squeals as of surprise. Within a second, Nicky's face had gone from worried to horrified. He slowly turned to face to his front and found himself staring directly at a gun. Aimed directly at his forehead, he could see Taylor sneering.

Once more he was involved in a matter of life and death situation. He wondered how it was that he always found in such situations but tried to force those thoughts away, trying to focus. He was nervous, no doubt, more like terrified. It wasn't because he could die, if that was the reason, he would live in fear everyday and he would not have joined the CIA in the first place, he was sure of that. He was scared for Nicky. If he was shot, there was no guarantee that she would be kept safe. Although he knew that perhaps it was only since she left with him that she became in danger, he knew he would do everything within his reach to keep her safe. Everyone else would more than likely only look after themselves.

He closed his eyes for a moment and thought back on the kiss. The memory instead of calming him, made him only more concerned. He would probably never get to do that anymore. A few more gasps could be heard as he felt a small rush of air in his face. Opening his eyes once more he didn't find himself staring at the gun but instead, much to his horror, it was now aimed at none other than Nicky.

"Dare to move and she dies." Taylor hissed, unlocking the trigger.

* * *

A/N: I know the getting held at gun point is probably getting a bit boring but that's about as much as I can come up with. So, I apologize for it. Hopefully, I can make it more interesting this time. 

Now, I have to say that up until now, I did not realize I had made a **huge** mistake since the beginning of the fic, well two actually. As you all know, all characters are from the movies except for Taylor and Andrews ( they are both made up).

Now the character of Mann was suposed to be Danny Zorn played by **Gabriel Mann**. I however, did not realize my mistake and so used the actor's name instead of his character's. However, since I'm already so far into the fic, I figured I would leave it that way and have him also be a made up character of mine because in "Supremacy" he gets killed anyway. I just thought I'd let you all know in case you hadn't noticed.

Anyway, now that that's settled, I hope you all enjoyed and thank you so much for your reviews! So please continue to R&R!

Oh and before I forget,

About the sequel (**if it was** the sequel, it would take place about a year or so later from these events) or a completely different fic w/ of course Jason/Nicky! This'd be the summary:-

Jason & Nicky are now married, living a peaceful life together until the CIA, under special request from Landy, enlists Jason to help them on one, final mission that involves looking out for Irina Neski, with a mission of her own. Now, as Jason sets out to fulfill his task, his once peaceful life becomes hectic as he tries to save his life and marriage while Irina looks to revenge her parent's death but unintentionally falls for their murderer. Set on destroying him, she tries to seduce him. Now Jason is being torn apart. With a mission to fulfill, relationship to save and resisting the young girl he must look out for, where will it all lead?

So what do you all think? I'd make Irina old enough of course.


	21. Chapter 21

The room had gone silent. Jason's pulse speed up. How could he have let things get as far? Now however, was not the time to torture himself with such thoughts. It was time to focus and think of a way out. One move and Taylor would pull the trigger. He wasn't afraid and was very capable of doing such an act. The truth was out and he had no escape. Therefore his actions could not damage him any more than they had already done so.

"T-Taylor...why don't you set the gun down and we will discuss this calmly." Marshall managed to say in a softer voice than usual.

"As if!" Taylor replied, scoffing while he glanced at him.

"You should really keep your suggestions to yourself Marshall." he continued.

He turned back to Nicky and then to Jason. The same sneer evident in his face, Jason couldn't help but feel disgusted at it. There was not much he could do at this point, not unless he knew what Taylor wanted. Although he had a few ideas, he couldn't do anything without risking Nicky. She was standing behind him, but in plain view of Taylor who was aiming at her. If Jason took two or so steps to his right, he could block her. However, he didn't know just how fast Taylor was. What if before he stepped, Taylor fired? He couldn't risk it, it was Nicky's life in danger.

"What do you want?" Jason finally asked, hoping he would get an answer that could help them get out this predicament.

"I want all of you **dead**." he answered irritated.

Marshall was about to speak. From where Jason was standing, he had a good view of him but before he had a chance to utter a word, Jason beat him to it, speaking in the usual cold tone of his.

"Not likely."

Taylor laughed, apparently in disbelief that Jason could do something about the situation.

"Why don't you let them go? Let's keep this between you and me." Jason continued, hoping that Taylor would accede.

"And what do I gain from it?" Taylor replied inquisitively.

"A fair fight."

Jason wanted to reply, 'saving yourself the embarrassment of losing' but instead, refrained himself. Although the odds were against him, he could at least put up a good fight if he left alone to deal by himself. When other people were involved, Nicky in this case, he would find it difficult to concentrate.

Taylor thought about it a moment, or so Jason could gather from the look on his face. He looked around the room, his eyes landing on Marshall. With a sneer, he turned back to Jason and spoke in tone slightly of excitement.

"The director stays...and so does the girl." he said, nodding towards Nicky.

"**No!** She _goes_." Jason replied warningly.

"It's either them or everyone else!" he replied, his voice a tone slightly below a shout.

Jason thought about it. The whole point of wanting the room to himself was so that Nicky could leave. If she stayed behind, it would all remain the same. Perhaps he even had an advantage this way because there would be more people to choose to kill for Taylor but then again, hadn't he chosen to threaten him by using Nicky?

He looked around the room and managed to catch a few anxious glances directed at him. He thought in letting them go, perhaps this one good deed would bring him their pardon, although judging by the situation, getting out alive was proving to be difficult.

"Go!" he ordered.

At first, no one moved, unsure of what was happening. He ordered them out once more, shouting this time which made everyone scatter. He tried to turn around to face Nicky but Taylor wasn't about to let him.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked, nodding behind Jason.

For a minute, there was no answer and he foolishly thought he was referring himself to Nicky. Then, he heard the familiar, thick voice of a male which could only be produced by Cronin.

"I stay on my own free will." he had replied.

"Fine...courageous but foolish of you." Taylor stated.

Everyone remained where they had been all along, afraid of making a wrong move. What now? No doubt that was what everyone was thinking at the moment. Who would be the first to turn themselves over? Taylor was determined to get his way but so was Jason. He wasn't about to let Nicky come to harm.

"Taylor...why are you doing this?" Marshall asked.

Taylor turned to face him once more, sending a worried glance towards Jason before doing so and then spoke in the same tone as before.

"If I go down, might as well bring those guilty of it with me." he replied nonchalantly.

"Did you have to go to these extremes?" Marshall once more asked.

"Perhaps..."

"Why?"

"Will you shut it?!" Taylor shouted, startling Marshall.

"I just don't understand wh-"

"You don't understand a lot of things Marshall." Taylor replied.

"Do you really believe your plan would have worked?" Cronin asked this time.

"As a matter of fact, yes. It was perfect, had it not been for you screwing it up for me." he responded, glancing towards Jason.

Meanwhile Taylor was busy talking, Marshall began to make his way towards him cautiously. Jason tried to stop him, but there was no way to do so. That damn Marshall! If Taylor noticed, he would probably pull the trigger and...if something went wrong, he'd make sure Marshall paid for his mistake.

"No, stop!" he suddenly blurted out.

Both Taylor and Marshall were startled, as far as he could see. At least Marshall had ceased making his way towards him. Now if he could only get Taylor distracted long enough to pounce on him and take the gun away.

"Wh-what...the hell...what's wrong with you?" he responded nervously.

He must have heard a noise from behind him because in less than two seconds, he turned around to come face to face with a very frightened Marshall.

"You idiot! What...do you want me to kill her?! Or you want me to kill you!" he shouted angrily.

He had momentarily waved the gun towards Nicky before he aimed at Marshall, doing the same as to emphasize his point. Jason knew this was his chance. It was now or never. Giving no time for Taylor to react, he did as he had thought of doing, pouncing on Taylor, trying to take the gun away.

He managed to grasp it while Taylor was still confused by the sudden set of actions that took place in less than a minute. Marshall stepped back while Jason and Taylor both fought for control of the gun. Jason could hear a couple of gasps and Nicky's cries of terror behind him.

Taylor was fighting him off, while Jason resisted his blows and tried to focus. He slammed Taylor against the wall, producing a gasp of pain from him as he continued his assault. Slamming the hand that carried the gun against the wall now, he tried to make him let go but Taylor wouldn't accede. Instead, he kicked Jason in the stomach.

Jason moved his free hand to Taylor's neck, pushing down on it while Taylor continued on with his attacks. In a matter of seconds, he could see Taylor turning red and could feel him weakening beneath his grasp. Nonetheless, Taylor would not give up. Just as Jason thought that he had managed to gain control of the situation, Taylor gathered what was left of him to take aim and fire.

He heard a scream and a groan right before he heard what he could only guess was a body, falling to the floor. He turned around expecting to see Nicky but to his surprise and relief, he realized it was Marshall that Taylor had shot. Blood was flowing from the wound located on the left side of his chest.

For a moment, no one moved. He glanced towards Nicky who was crying silently and Cronin who looked somewhere along surprise and horrified. Having forgotten about Taylor, he turned back to face him, he was lying on the ground now, his breathing shallow. He couldn't remember when he had lost his grip on him but could only guess it was the moment he heard the gun being fired. He stepped back and as he glanced towards the door, he realized for the first time that the wall where it was situated, contained windows. The committee stood on the other side, with the same looks of horror, shock, and surprise as Cronin. They had seen it all.

Just as he was about to make his way towards, Nicky, he a woman from the committee, terrified, point behind him, mouthing something. He turned around and noticed Taylor was trying to reach for his gun. Jason was a couple of steps away and as he moved in to grasp it, Taylor managed to beat him to it and without a second thought, he brought it to his head and fired.

Blood splattered everywhere. The screaming grew louder and all Jason could do was stand still. It wasn't much of a surprise nor did it come as much of a shock as it did to everyone else. He had stopped short a few inches from him, and therefore, much of his blood now covered his body. He reached to his face to wipe it and sure enough, his hands were now smeared with the crimson red liquid.

Finally he managed to turn away from the gruesome sight and walk towards Nicky who was now lying at Marshall's side. A pool of blood, was visible under him. _So much blood and so much death. _Jason needed not to reach down to check the director's pulse. He knew he was dead and had been since the moment he heard the gun being fired.

He took hold of Nicky's shoulders and pulled her away. She didn't need to have witnessed any of it but it had been that way and there was not much left to do except to take her away. Without being reluctant, she let herself be guided away from the corpses. They walked by Cronin who nodded at them silently. As they made their way outside the room, the committee merely looked at with sympathy as if he was the one in grief.

He glanced back to see Cronin who made his way to Marshall's body and pull his eyelids close. He however, merely continued on his way. Where to, he had no idea but he knew he needed to take Nicky away to calm her down, and him too. Although he showed no emotion, he too had been scared. He could have lost her. He embraced her then, bringing her warm, living body closer to him as a remainder of what he had gained from it all.

* * *

A/N: I am so so sorry that I took such a long time to update! I apologize for it but I had a lot of things to do. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. 

Sadly, the story is coming to its' end and I think the next chapter would be my last unless I make them two, short chapters. I'll have to see that.

Thank you so much those who reviewed! And those who liked the idea of carrying out the (sequel or different fic) and just so you can rest assured, it will of course be Jason/Nicky and Irina will not succeed. However, she will have to get into Jason's head, otherwise the idea won't work.

Anyway, please continue to R&R! It makes my day!


	22. Chapter 22

Last chapter!

Finally! Although I'm sad that it has come to an end, I'm glad that I was able to stick with something for so long and having finished it. I really hope that all of you have enjoyed this story and hope that you enjoy this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Bourne Identity/Supremacy". The song, "The Reason" belongs to Hoobastank.

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It had been two weeks since the events that had changed their lives. Everything had been hectic at first but it was soon returning to normal. The committee came forth to discuss their plan of action. They soon brought Landy back and what was even surprising to others but expected by Jason, she was given Marshall's post. She was now the new CIA director. Cronin of course remained by her side. He was now, Deputy Director. Not only that but apparently, things were looking good for them both aside from getting along as colleagues. 

Mann was soon discovered, trying to run away and was now locked up, charged with conspiring the murder of the former CIA director. Nicky resigned, politely declining Landy's offer at a higher post, the same as Cronin. She wanted nothing more to do with the CIA. Jason in turn had been granted pardon by the CIA. They finally realized just how much he had done for a good cause.

Finally, after years of hiding and running, they were giving him the opportunity at a normal life, at least as normal as he could make it after everything he had lived. His life indeed would be different from now on and he was going to make sure that from the moment he stepped out the CIA site, after being called forth to discuss his outcome, he would make sure every breath he'd take would be for the better.

It was that moment that he decided he wanted nothing more to do with his past. It had only caused him trouble, bringing nothing but pain and guilt. All of it was associated with someone he didn't know and didn't want a chance to know anymore. He wanted to start anew. He wanted nothing more than to start his life over with the only person who stuck with him trough thick and thin...Nicky.

After Marshall's murder and Taylor's suicide, both Jason and Nicky had returned to Cronin's home. It was the only place they had left to go now that everyone knew the truth. They spent the few days, speaking very little, barely acknowledging each other. They resembled zombies, still much in shock of the past events and in fear of what was to come yet.

That however, was about to change. Jason would see to that. He deserved a chance at being happy. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Nicky and he was sure that she did too but something was stopping her. _Was it fear? Fear of what? Fear of __**him**__ or of being __**with**__ him? _It didn't make any sense. They had spent weeks together, and she had never shown a sign of being reluctant to being near him.

He had arrived at Cronin's house once more. He knew she would be there. She had been present to defend his case and they were both released at the same time. However, he had chosen to take a stroll through the streets, experiencing freedom. Although it was pleasant, there had been something missing, and that was _her_.

She seemed to be able to understand him, and offered him her help. Why couldn't she see now that he needed her now? _What if she did? Was that the reason she was avoiding him? _There was only one way to find out and he was going to do it. He needed to talk to her. As he opened the door, expecting to see her on the other side or perhaps sitting in the living room, he realized she was not there. He made his way up the stairs then, hoping that he would find her there.

He heard music playing softly and as he neared the room he shared with her, he saw her sitting on the bed, looking distraught. She was deep in thought, and so he merely stood a minute at the doorway, contemplating her features. It seemed like years since he had last done so. She was wearing a beige blouse, black pants, and matching boots. Her still dark hair resting on her shoulders. It had grown so fast. Her skin was slightly flushed and she momentarily smiled, presumably from a pleasant memory or thought.

She blinked a few times before she returned to reality. Sighing deeply, she shook her head as if to remind herself something was not possible or probable before she glanced around the room and her eyes landed on him. She looked surprised to have found him gazing at her. He smiled, reassuring her it was fine, and made his way to her. He took seat next to her. She didn't move but she did seem somewhat uncomfortable. This was definitely not the Nicky he had spent the last few weeks with.

Her hands were resting on her lap, and he cautiously took one in his, glancing at her to make sure it was okay. She didn't object but he felt her stiffen at his touch. He couldn't tell what she was thinking by simply looking at her. Her eyes showed, confusion, distrust, hurt?

"Nicky..." he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What's wrong?" he continued in the same tone.

She looked down, avoiding his gaze. He was unsure of how to react nor what to say. What could have possibly happened that made her so vulnerable? That was not like her at all. At least not from what he had gotten to know her for.

He heard the song that was playing softly, come to an end before another soon began.

_I'm not a perfect person _

_There's many things I wish I didn't do_

Suddenly, he felt a drop land on his hand. As he looked down, he realized it was a tear. She was crying! Taking hold of her chin, he lifted her head to face him. Indeed, she had tears in her eyes.

_But I continue learning_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

"Nicky...what's wrong? Tell me." he asked her once more.

"Jason...I-I can't do this." she replied, her voice breaking.

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know_

"What do you mean?" he continued.

"The past few weeks...aside from those events, were great. I-felt-thought we could have something but-"

_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And that reason is you_

"-And we can...Nicky...I want to start anew...with you at my side."

At this, he knelt before her, bringing her forehead to his. He looked up to her and he could see her smile. He smiled as well. He looked her straight in the eye and finally told her everything that he felt. Nicky had kept silent throughout the whole time, merely nodding every so often and trying to keep from crying.

_I'm sorry that I hurt you_

_It's something I must live with everyday_

"You see...I fell in love with you and...I want to be with you."

_And all the pain I put you through_

_I wish I could take it all away_

"I'm sorry about everything that you had to go through but...a part of me isn't because if it hadn't been for that...I wouldn't be here with you now." he continued.

_And be the one who catches all your tears_

_That's why I need you to hear_

She smiled again, apparently she was happy about this confession. She too had felt the same. It was ironic that both living under the same roof and spending so much time together, they had not been able to realize that.

_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And the reason is you_

"Nicky...they granted me the opportunity to a normal life but it wouldn't be complete if you weren't in it." he said softly.

_And the reason is you_

_And the reason is you_

He could hear the song playing softly adding to the mood of the situation.

"Do you really mean it?"

_And the reason is you_

Before he could speak to reassure her, she cut him off, giving him a questioning look.

"Or are you getting all this from the song?"

He was surprised at her words. What did she mean? He paused to listen to it but could only hear instruments until the singer's voice filled his hearing.

_I'm not a perfect person_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know_

_I found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_And the reason is you_

He smiled once more and sat back, breaking the contact with her skin. She smiled too. He had to agree that the song pretty much summed up his thoughts. She laughed then, upon seeing his face of realization and he had to admit that it had helped lighten the mood around them.

"Nicky..." he whispered.

She looked straight into his eyes now. Every doubt she had before was now gone. It was only up to her to decide whether they would give it a shot or not. However, judging by her expression, he could tell that the outcome would be a positive one.

"Yes Jason...I want to start over with you." she finally responded softly.

He stood up swiftly, and she did the same. He had taken her by her hands now and he was smiling gleefully. After everything that they had gone through, they were finally getting a chance to start over once more. He would leave his past behind. There was nothing in it that he cared about. Only the nice memories, which were not much, would reside inside him forever. This time he would do everything in his power to do it right...for _her_.

_I've found a reason to show_

_A side of me you didn't know_

_A reason for all that I do_

_And that reason is you_

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A/N: Although the song wasn't necessary, I wanted to end it that way. I always wanted to end it with a song that described either everything they went trough or what they felt at the moment. At first I thought about ending it with 'Hero' by Enrique Iglesias and seriously contemplated it but I decided against it at the end. Maybe I'll put it in the next fic! 

I hope this last chapter was good. I worked really hard in this fic, trying my best to update as soon as possible and trying to make it interesting and just good enough for all you!

Thank you so much for those who gave this fic a chance, stuck with it to the end and of course, those of you who reviewed! You all made my day!

Now, just in case you didn't see the summary for the next fic, which I decided will be a sequel, this is it:

Jason & Nicky are now married, living a peaceful life together until the CIA, under special request from Landy, enlists Jason to help them on one, final mission that involves looking out for Irina Neski, with a mission of her own. Now, as Jason sets out to fulfill his task, his once peaceful life becomes hectic as he tries to save his life and relationship with Nicky while Irina looks to revenge her parent's death but unintentionally falls for their murderer. Set on destroying him, she tries to seduce him. Now Jason is being torn apart. With a mission to fulfill, marriage to save and resisting the young girl he must look out for, where will it all lead?

I hope to see all of you or at least some of you return for it. Although I said I was going to rest and start on it later, I'm actually working on the first chapter of it now. Yeah...I tend to do that.

Well hopefully you all enjoyed this fic, thank you so much for your reviews and hope to see you for the sequel!

Please R&R for the last time! Please?


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